Chapter 33: Level 0.5 Mobile City and the “Captain’s Club”
When Li Ye reopened his eyes, a new day had already arrived.
He remained lying on his side, squinting as he felt the faint tremors in the room.
These tremors came from the motion of the Tomorrow as it traveled, its power engine operating steadily, the vibrations transmitted through brass pipes that delivered steam and vapor, coursing along the veins of the steel behemoth to the entire city.
Li Ye was still accustomed to this sensation; it meant the city was moving steadily through the wilderness, which was reassuring.
He dressed, folded his bedding, and washed up simply.
When Li Ye stepped out of his room, he saw the wilderness awakening under the pale gray dawn.
The last lone star still lingered on the horizon, and the night dew clinging to the blades of grass glistened like its reluctant tears, as if the whole plain had been sprinkled with fine shards of glass.
A hazy crimson hue began to seep through the sky, flowing across the small river and the land, gradually awakening the entire field.
Birds poked their heads out of nests nestled in the branches, and sand rats emerged from their burrows with rustling sounds, their whiskers still speckled with fresh dirt.
Before long, the sun finally leapt above the horizon, and the golden sunlight gently poured over the gears and pipes of the mobile city, warming and brightening it just like the land below.
At this moment, the people aboard the Tomorrow had already begun their daily labors.
In the lower power engine zone, the mechanic Lin Wu pressed his ear against a hydraulic pipe, listening intently with his eyes closed.
He had yet to change out of the leather apron from last night's repairs, which was now covered in oil and coal dust.
On the freshly cultivated fields of the upper level, residents were carefully tending the newly planted Sunshine Apple trees and Yunmeng Cotton.
On the outer edge of the mid-level city shell, several residents, hanging from ropes, had begun aerial cleaning operations.
On the decks and corridors, a few residents leaned on railings, gazing out at the scenery—these were often those assigned to external resource extraction or combat personnel on break.
After finishing breakfast, Li Ye, as usual, walked into the upper-level watchtower.
The lookout Lin Xia was steadfastly at her post.
This young girl clearly had not recovered from the pain of losing her father and her home.
When Li Ye approached, she looked at him in surprise, then seemed to realize something and handed him the binoculars.
Li Ye nodded slightly to her, then took the binoculars and looked out at the distant landscape.
The morning breeze swept past the copper railing of the watchtower, gently lifting the hems of their clothes before letting them fall again.
The entire mobile city slowly turned beneath their feet, and the deep clunking of meshing gears sounded like the heartbeat of some massive creature.
Lin Xia leaned on the railing, her fingertips lightly tapping it absentmindedly.
“When you miss home, how does it feel?” she asked softly.
“Hm?”
Li Ye turned to look at her, surprised.
Out of consideration for her emotional state, he hadn’t said much, and even handled the binoculars with care—yet she had taken the initiative to speak?
Miss home, huh...
He slowly savored the word, his thoughts like a small box suddenly opened in a forgotten corner, releasing a flood of memories.
He was 25 this year, an ordinary white-collar worker in a big city, living a typical 9-to-5 life like most office workers.
He rented a small apartment in the suburbs, and each day’s commute was long.
His family was ordinary too—his father worked at a state-owned enterprise, his mother was a middle school teacher, and his younger sister was in college.
His life path had originally been long but predictable.
Work hard for a few years to save money, find someone passable through a blind date, buy a car and a house, get married and have kids...
But the sudden transmigration had disrupted all his plans.
Rather than being overwhelmed by melancholy over never returning home, Li Ye felt more full of ambition.
This was an exciting world.
The surviving humans relied on mobile cities to wander and fight while running their roving homes.
Along the way, one could meet so many people and see so many sights.
As he gazed out at the distant scenery, his brows gradually relaxed.
“Dad, Mom, and little sister—if you knew I had arrived in such a colorful and marvelous world, I believe you’d be happy for me.”
“This place is both strange and dazzling, with so many beautiful things to long for.”
“I’ll live a wonderful life here and leave behind many stories.”
When he returned to his senses, Li Ye found Lin Xia still watching him, waiting for his answer.
“Probably a mix of melancholy, sadness, and eventual relief,” he replied slowly.
Lin Xia gently nodded and brushed the short hair near her ear.
“So that’s how it is?”
The two leaned against the railing, gazing at the scenery, chatting idly from time to time.
Half an hour later, something in the distance suddenly caught their attention.
They saw, a few kilometers away, more than a dozen uniquely styled mobile cities approaching from all directions and gathering together.
To Li Ye’s surprise, these mobile cities were all very tiny, each only dozens of square meters in size.
They were often a few small cabins pieced together, equipped with miniature mechanical arms and cranes, and came with awnings, observation decks, gardens, warehouses, small water towers, and other configurations.
As one of the mobile cities let out a whistle, the others began linking together.
Retractable bridges with hinged joints extended from beneath the armored plates, snaking outward.
The rivets on the bridge surfaces were old but reliable.
The central mobile city had a device that unfolded during ascent, automatically assembling into several floating platforms, with toothed edges that locked precisely with the retractable bridges.
People from the mobile cities walked across the bridges onto the platforms to meet.
They shared snacks, drinks, and food they had brought and chatted happily.
They were all elderly people with gray hair, seemingly longtime acquaintances.
The mobile cities also began their own displays.
The first was a flower-covered city that emitted fragrant steam through its pipes, enveloping the scene in a festive mood of reunion.
Another mobile city, fitted with large barrels on its exterior, provided fine liquor.
A third city, half of which was farmland, offered fresh vegetables and fruits.
The last city provided music.
Its appearance was the most distinctive, with sides shaped like organ pipes—dozens of metal tubes stacked and spreading out.
The lord of this city was an old lady in a light yellow formal dress with silver hair, currently seated before a piano.
As she pressed the keys, a graceful, melodious tune echoed forth, the sound transmitted through the pipes and finally played through large speakers mounted atop the city.
“Really amazing…” Li Ye couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
Even without a massive body, a longing for a free life could still set the tiniest gears in motion.
“These are 0.5-level mobile cities,” Lin Xia turned to look at him.
From the daughter of a fortress lord, Li Ye learned what a 0.5-level mobile city truly was.
Not all mobile cities started at level 1.
Some lords had a poor start, possessing only a steam engine, boiler room, production workshop, a few cabins, and crawler wheels—that was a level 0.5 city.
They toiled diligently in the wilderness, gathering resources and slowly developing into a level 1 city.
But some 0.5-level city lords were exceptions.
Unlike most who focused on upgrading their cities, they focused on living well in the moment, carefully building their 0.5-level cities with dedication.
They built observation decks, small gardens, plots, and melon sheds to their liking and planted flowers and grass in every gap.
A 0.5-level city had limited space, typically accommodating only a dozen people.
Often, these cities housed a single family.
The father drove the city, the mother handled repairs, and the children took care of the fields and gardens.
There was no need to worry much about their safety—because of their small size, 0.5-level cities could move very quickly, reaching speeds over 200 kilometers per hour in the wild.
Some even camouflaged their outer shells with plants for concealment.
Due to their small scale and population, 0.5-level cities required very little fuel, food, and fresh water.
They rarely sought blueprints or level 1 items, so Predatory Cities didn’t bother targeting them—making survival in the wild easier.
“So that’s how it is?” Li Ye nodded slowly. “Then this gathering of theirs is…”
Lin Xia rested her chin on her hand and tilted her head with a smile.
“These 0.5-level cities in the Wasteland Zone have an organization called the Captain’s Club. They gather at predetermined locations from time to time.”
Captain’s Club, huh?
Li Ye was first surprised, then nodded gently.
Thinking about it, these 0.5-level cities did resemble little boats—so the name made sense.
By now, more and more people on the deck had noticed these 0.5-level mobile cities.
Everyone crowded near the railing, holding on and chatting excitedly.
Li Ye thought for a moment and turned to Lin Xia.
“Should we go take a look?”
Lin Xia shook her head with a hint of melancholy.
“For cities like ours—level 1 cities—the Captain’s Club isn’t welcoming. You saw it too, their lords are all elderly grandpas and grandmas. Don’t go upsetting them.”
Despite her words, Li Ye still didn’t want to give up.
He had Tang Fang sound two long and one short whistle.
After a long silence, one of the 0.5-level cities returned the same whistle.
“They agreed!” Li Ye exclaimed excitedly.
Although Lin Xia was surprised too, she looked at him with concern.
“Aren’t we supposed to be heading toward the central region? Won’t this delay cause trouble?”
Li Ye smiled and gently shook his head.
"Being on the road every day can be exhausting.
Sometimes it’s nice to stop and enjoy the view."
As he spoke, he extended his hand toward Lin Xia.
"I’m guessing you want to go take a look too?"
Lin Xia nodded, and a rare smile appeared on her face.
"Mm."
The two of them rode an off-road vehicle and slowly headed toward the 0.5-level cities.
Upon arriving nearby and getting off, Li Ye saw that all the lords of the 0.5-level cities were looking at them.
They were all elderly—at least in their fifties, with the oldest nearing eighty.
The floating platform seemed to be a tea party reserved for these lords, while their families were busy on their own mobile cities.
"Damn it, Old Li! You never park your city properly. This time your outer wine barrels knocked off my rose bushes again!" shouted a neatly dressed old man, angry.
The mentioned Old Li—a bearded, beer-bellied old man in a white vest—laughed heartily.
"I say, good liquor is far better than your precious flower arrangement art."
"What about the music? Why did it stop playing?" asked another old man who was baking cookies.
The lord of the music city—the well-dressed elderly lady—slowly sipped her tea.
"I only play one piece each time. If you don’t listen carefully, you’ll have to wait until next time."
As they spoke, all the old lords turned their gaze toward Li Ye and Lin Xia.
"Such a young lord," the neat old man exclaimed. "You must’ve taken over this city not long ago, and yet it’s developed so well."
"I hate these level 1 cities the most," muttered the cookie-baking old man without even turning his head. "They rush around the wild like locusts, extracting resources and stirring up trouble."
"Don’t be so prejudiced!" laughed the white-vested old man, patting his belly. "Seeing young people always lifts your spirits, just like when we were young."
"How long have you known each other?" Li Ye asked curiously.
"Almost forty years now," one of the old lords replied.
He waved to Li Ye and Lin Xia.
"Come, young ones, join us old folks for tea and a chat."
The early morning wilderness was especially tranquil, the 0.5-level cities gathered together, while the Tomorrow stood guard in the distance.
Li Ye chatted and drank tea with the old lords, gradually relaxing.
"You’ve seen it now—this is our life," said the neatly dressed old man. "No hunting, no fighting, just migrating with our families and occasionally meeting up with old friends."
He put down the teapot and looked around at the mobile cities of his friends, sighing sincerely.
"We believe that true freedom doesn’t come from how much space you have, but from fitting your entire world into these dozens of square meters of romance."
Li Ye nodded earnestly. He felt this kind of life was pretty good too.
But soon he realized something and quickly put down his teacup to remind them.
"By the way, the Wasteland Zone will be destroyed in less than three months—you must hurry and leave."
The elders exchanged glances and smiled.
"In fact, we’re preparing for a race—to see who can reach the western Basin Region first."
"But isn’t the west blocked by sprawling mountains?" Li Ye was surprised.
The cookie-baking old man waved his hand lightly.
"It’s fine. Old Li is an excellent mechanic. He can help everyone modify climbing treads."
The white-vested old man placed his hands on his hips, huffing.
"Sounds like you’re all trying to work this old guy to death!"
The lords looked at each other and burst out laughing.
The tea party ended quickly, and the old lords returned to their respective 0.5-level cities, retracting the floating platforms and extendable bridges.
At this point, Li Ye and Lin Xia were already back on the deck of the Tomorrow, gazing at the distant scene.
The 0.5-level mobile cities lined up one by one across the wilderness, their chimneys puffing steam, seemingly ready to go.
With a whistle, they all surged forward like race participants, heading west.
"How wonderful," Lin Xia’s eyes lit up as she watched. "These grandpas and grandmas don’t seem to have aged at all."
Li Ye nodded, also filled with admiration.
Soon, he waved his hand.
"Let’s go—we move on."