Chapter 28 "Strike Back! Counterattack Those Accursed Humans!"

Li Jin and Lei Jian could not help but exchange glances, their eyes flickering with uncertainty. Having once been allies with Li Ye, their current sentiments were subtle; they were as afraid of Li Ye suffering as they were of him surpassing them.

At present, the Tomorrow had already acquired a Tier 1 artillery piece, a Tier 1 rocket launcher, a Tier 1 assault rifle, and Tier 2 urban camouflage. Having expanded its crew and upgraded two additional urban components, its strength had surged dramatically. Unbeknownst to them, it had become the most formidable party within the three-city alliance. Furthermore, as the initiator of this alliance and the source of the information regarding the wild boss, it held far too many advantages.

If only...

Li Ye clearly read their thoughts and promptly added, "Rest assured, I will not monopolize the Tier 2 items dropped by the wild boss this time. We will all participate in an auction using crystal coins."

Li Jin and Lei Jian breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. However, Li Ye quickly added another condition. "But I will have the right of first refusal for all other dropped items."

"Agreed!" Lei Jian replied without hesitation. Li Jin hesitated for a moment before nodding as well.

From Li Ye's perspective, he could forgo the Tier 2 item this time, but that storage room key had to be obtained. If the three-city alliance were to fracture over the competition for a single Tier 2 item, resulting in the failure to kill the wild boss and secure the key, he would truly be losing the greater for the sake of the lesser. After some reflection, Li Ye added, "Furthermore, if any frost ore is mined in the mountain, it must all go to me."

This time, Li Jin and Lei Jian nodded in unison. Compared to the Tier 2 item, this concession was negligible.

Discussing plans, preparing supplies, and readying combat personnel—after a flurry of intense preparations, the three mobile cities set sail together at dawn. To bolster his firepower, Li Ye spent 400 units of iron ore to craft two additional standard artillery pieces. Embracing the mindset of never missing an opportunity, he and Lei Jian also had Li Jin help process two Tier 1 heavy machine guns.

As they departed, Li Ye looked back at the Roland Fortress behind them. Last night, he had inadvertently learned that the lord of Roland Fortress had taken a turn for the worse and had fallen into a complete coma. The two factions that had been suppressed by the lord were beginning to stir, and dark undercurrents were roiling throughout the fortress. Even the common residents had sensed the ominous atmosphere and had begun to fear for their own safety.

As he pondered this, Li Ye glanced up at the sky.

The sky was unnaturally dark. Lead-gray clouds hung extremely low, pressing down upon the entire fortress and making it appear increasingly gloomy. He could not help but sigh sincerely, "Alas, a storm is truly brewing."

...

"We've arrived." Seeing the Gloss Mine in his line of sight, Li Ye, standing on the watchtower, nodded slightly.

In truth, as a lord, he visited the watchtower far more diligently than the actual lookouts. This was primarily because the watchtower offered the best vantage point on the Tomorrow, providing an unobstructed view of the surrounding kilometers when looking through binoculars, not to mention the occasional refreshing breeze.

Looking out, the entire Gloss Mine was sparsely vegetated, with gullies filled with scattered rubble and slag. The mountain itself was riddled with large and small, intricate mine shafts, and the ore transport tracks crawled across the slopes like vines.

At this very moment, many goblins were busy at work. They wore hard hats and white vests, brandishing pickaxes in their hands. Detecting the commotion from afar, the goblins pricked up their ears in alarm. Realizing it was the three mobile cities, they reacted quickly, dropping their pickaxes and grabbing their weapons.

"My goodness, these damn fellows are here again!" one of the goblins grumbled.

Fortresses, trenches, and artillery machine-gun nests were manned one after another, and a shrill alarm sounded across the entire mine.

As the Tomorrow let out three long blasts of its steam whistle, the battle officially began. The artillery from the three mobile cities fired simultaneously, and a deluge of fire instantly engulfed the Gloss Mine. A shell whistled through the air and slammed into a trench, sending dust and debris flying amidst a burst of flame.

However, the goblins in the trench suffered few casualties; they were currently crouched on their elbows and knees, hands covering their heads to protect their ears, with their mouths wide open. It was the standard anti-artillery prone position.

One of the goblin sub-commanders shrieked, "Counterattack! Counterattack against those damn humans!"

In an instant, the artillery on the Gloss Mine opened fire in unison. In the cockpit, Tang Fang continuously spun the helm, maneuvering the Tomorrow to dodge the enemy fire. With a thunderous roar, the Tomorrow's frost artillery fired. A large fortress was struck and instantly turned into an ice sculpture. Another standard shell followed, and the entire fortress was blasted into countless shards of ice.

"Excellent!" Li Ye nodded. The frost artillery’s power was indeed impressive; the only drawback was the limited supply of ammunition.

At this moment, the Conqueror and the Azure were also firing. Utilizing its lava treads, the Conqueror nimbly climbed the mountainside, firing down upon the goblins in the trenches from a superior position. Although the Azure lacked Tier 1 artillery, it possessed a Tier 1 heavy machine gun. It closed the distance to the mine and began firing wildly; the fortresses built by the goblins out of common bricks and tiles were like paper, instantly shredded by the fire.

Despite this, the goblins' resistance was incredibly stubborn. Bullets and shells rained down upon the three mobile cities. The Tomorrow and the Conqueror, both equipped with Tier 1 urban armor, were able to hold their own, but the Azure began to struggle. With multiple urban components damaged, it was forced to retreat temporarily.

Rows of goblin helicopters also attacked aggressively, but they were quickly shot down by heavy machine guns and rocket launchers, plummeting in explosions of flame and smoke.

In an attempt to regain the advantage, the goblins brought out the Tier 1 artillery from the mine. Li Ye was startled when he saw this. Judging by the shells the goblins were loading, it appeared to be armor-piercing artillery.

Calculating distance, wind speed, and ballistic angles... the goblin gunners quickly completed the sequence and ignited the fuses. A shell struck, piercing through the side of the Conqueror's urban armor.

"Concentrate fire! Prioritize taking out the Tier 1 artillery!" Li Ye recovered and quickly issued the order. At the same time, he could not help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. Between the helicopters and the Tier 1 artillery, these goblins were practically defying the heavens.

The battle continued for several hours before it finally concluded. After retreating to a safe distance, the three lords met up.

Overall, the results were decent. More than half of the fortresses on the mountain had been cleared, and those two Tier 1 artillery pieces had been destroyed. Once the three mobile cities replenished their shells and ammunition, they could clear the rest in one push.

Currently, casualties among the three mobile cities remained within an acceptable range. While Lei Jian and Li Jin breathed sighs of relief, Li Ye furrowed his brows.

The situation was likely not as smooth as they had imagined; the wild boss had yet to make an appearance.

Just then, a shrill, piercing scream echoed from the Gloss Mine.

"No one is taking the Gloss Mine!"