Chapter 166: Chapter 118: Resource Warehouse
Li Ziyu paid no mind to Liu Xingxing’s tearless wailing, instead focusing on absorbing the information his Undead had brought back.
Everything the Undead saw was stored in their Soul Fire, and the images could be transmitted directly to his mind, allowing him to review them as if watching a movie or looking at photos.
Li Ziyu reviewed the images from the Skeleton Longbowmen. Although they were far away, the visuals were clearer than those from ordinary Skeleton Undead. After all, they were Archers; their eyesight was naturally better. The living beings inside the enemy fortress were particularly clear, displayed as red figures, almost as if seen through an infrared scanner.
’So their fortress is a giant armored vehicle?’
’Judging by their appearance, the enemy Race is Werewolf... Werewolves equipped with Long-barreled Firearms?’
’This is more fantastical than transmigrating into a Magic World. I feel like my worldview has been shattered all over again,’ Li Ziyu thought, rubbing his temples as a headache bloomed.
"Alright, stop wailing. Tell me what happened," Li Ziyu said, waving his hand to cut off Liu Xingxing, who was still putting on a show of mourning.
"Oh." Liu Xingxing stopped quite abruptly, thought for a moment, and said, "The treasure hunt had ended, and I was just about to bring the Catmen back when they ambushed us. They killed dozens of Catmen right away. Seeing how bad the situation was, I quickly activated the fortress and started heading back. That’s about it."
The account was brief, but Li Ziyu could imagine the scene. Anyone would panic if they were ambushed without warning while preparing to head home. Liu Xingxing’s reaction was entirely expected.
’More and more trouble. I haven’t even finished dealing with the Natives’ Alliance Army, and now another Transmigrator City Lord has appeared. And it looks like this one has no intention of peaceful coexistence.’
When the Undead returned earlier, Li Ziyu had checked their numbers and found he’d lost several hundred. This was the most infuriating engagement yet. He had gained nothing, the enemy hadn’t lost a single person, and he was down several hundred Undead. A first.
’How... thrilling.’
Li Ziyu turned his head to look toward the Wraith Mountain Range, a savage grin spreading across his face. ’Since they aren’t even willing to talk and chose to attack directly, there’s nothing left to discuss. War is the only answer!’
’Afraid?’
’As if. I can summon tens of thousands of Skeleton Undead at a moment’s notice. Why would I fear a mere Transmigrator City Lord?’
Zhang Peng, who had been listening to their conversation in silence, suddenly piped up, "Boss, I think I know who they are."
At Zhang Peng’s words, it dawned on Liu Xingxing as well. He said thoughtfully, "You mean, they’re..."
Li Ziyu looked from Liu Xingxing to Zhang Peng, his brow furrowing slightly. "What happened during the day while I was resting? Why do I get the feeling you two are hiding something from me?"
Seeing that Li Ziyu had gotten the wrong idea, Zhang Peng quickly explained, "Boss, I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you. You just woke up, and I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet."
’So something really did happen during the day,’ Li Ziyu thought. He nodded, signaling for Zhang Peng to continue. "Alright, tell me what’s going on."
Zhang Peng then recounted his meeting with the Little Catman, Mengmeng, earlier that day, explaining everything in detail. He also shared the intelligence he had gathered from her. Only then did Li Ziyu understand what Zhang Peng had been hinting at.
The Transmigrator City Lord who had ambushed Liu Xingxing was, in all likelihood, the same one mentioned in Mengmeng’s intel.
’As survival of the fittest plays out, more Transmigrators are growing stronger, making the Otherworld increasingly dangerous. I need to make more preparations. An incident like today’s can’t be allowed to happen again. I have to help Zhang Peng and Liu Xingxing develop their own fortresses. I can protect them for a time, but not forever.’
’If they ever run into a powerful enemy skilled at launching raids, they could be wiped out before my support even arrives.’
Today’s incident served as a wake-up call for Li Ziyu.
’I’ve gotten complacent. Ever since I got to the Wraith Mountain Range, everything has seemed so smooth. A steady stream of resources being shipped out gave me a false sense of security. But progress is never made overnight; it requires constant planning. I’ve underestimated the heroes of this world.’
’While I felt secure, others were still developing frantically. As they grow stronger and I stand still, the gap widens. It’s easy to suffer a major loss that way.’
Li Ziyu raised his head and looked at Zhang Peng and Liu Xingxing, who were waiting quietly. "This incident should serve as a wake-up call for us. Xingxing, this is the second time this has happened to you. You need to be more careful from now on. I won’t always be able to get to you in time to help. You need to start thinking about how to solve problems on your own; you can’t always depend on me."
Liu Xingxing understood Li Ziyu’s meaning. With a bitter expression, he said, "Boss, I know I shouldn’t trouble you every time, but... but I don’t have any troops! The Wasteland is too barren, resources aren’t easy to find, and I need time to gather them."
Li Ziyu nodded and held up a hand, motioning for him to calm down. With a smile, he said, "I’m also responsible for this. I should be helping you develop. That’s why I’m planning to build a public Warehouse, based on the guild settings in a game. If you need anything, you can exchange for it at the Warehouse, or even take out a ’loan’."
Even Zhang Peng’s eyes lit up at these words. He had done the analysis: considering the scale of mining in the Wraith Mountain Range, Li Ziyu must have a substantial amount of basic resources by now, resources that both he and Liu Xingxing desperately needed.
If they asked Li Ziyu for them, he would surely give them some. But while that might work once or twice, if it happened too often, Li Ziyu would undoubtedly feel resentful. Their relationship would be strained, and the gains wouldn’t be worth the loss.
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