Mobile City Farming Guide

Chapter 286 The Fourth Main Island: Energy and Industrial Base (4K)
At this moment, a sea train is quietly parked at the platform.

This steel behemoth is now covered in rust, its streamlined front is deformed, and only a small part of the number on the front fender remains.

Large areas of the coating on the sides of the car body have peeled off, revealing the long-rusted alloy frame inside. One carriage also has a huge gap in the damage, with the metal edges curling outwards in a petal-like pattern.

The cab at the front of the vehicle resembled a dissected skull, with the instrument panel on the control panel covered in a thick layer of dust. A weathered uniform hung on the driver's seat.

Upon witnessing this scene, Old Gear couldn't help but sigh.

"The glory days are truly gone forever."

"You still have emotions?" Zhou Xing was stunned.

The old gear turned to look at him.

"Yes, what is it, sir?"

Seeing the incredulous looks on everyone's faces, he probably realized something and said solemnly.

"Gentlemen, I am not a robot, but a mechanical life form."

"So how were you born into this world?" Fang Yong asked.

"Lord Celestial Weaver created me," the old gear replied. "All mechanical life forms are His people and servants, faithfully guarding His side. My duty is to be responsible for the daily operation and maintenance of the mechanical lighthouse."

"How many years have you been doing this job?" Li Ye asked.

“172 years,” the old gear said. “Back then, Lord Tianzhi had not yet disappeared, and Kongyou Continent was still a prosperous place. I was able to receive supplies and maintenance every now and then.”

As it spoke, it realized something and muttered something.

"I really don't know what the situation is like on the fourth main island now? But since Sky Island has become like this, I think it must be in a very bad state."

What exactly is on the fourth main island?

“An energy and industrial base,” Old Gear replied. “In Sky Island, the seven main islands each have their own responsibilities, such as industrial production, military, and residential areas. The fourth main island is relatively close to us, only 72 nautical miles away.”

Li Ye nodded.

"Then let's go take a look."

On the way to the fourth main island, a new round of intelligence was also updated.

[1. The monster-fighting world-class organization, Celestial Choice, has dispatched troops to Sky Island. (Intelligence Value: Average)]

2. The Emperor Monster "Heavenly Pride" Had has secretly reached an agreement with the Monsters and will join their ranks. (Intelligence Value: Excellent)

3. The main island of Sky Island is currently under lockdown and inaccessible. (Intelligence Value: Excellent)

4. The monsters have chosen a continent as their habitat for a low-level monster civilization. To defend against human attacks, they will activate world-class weapons to protect this continent. (Intelligence Value: Rare)

5. The Monarch Monster Gidon was defeated and captured in battle against the Chosen Ones. After some discussion, the monsters ultimately decided that the Unifier Church would take over. (Information Value: Rare)

"The amount of intelligence information this time is also quite good."

What caught Li Ye's attention the most was undoubtedly the first piece of intelligence.

Among the three world-class organizations of the monster faction, the Celestial Chosen is composed of a highly evolved monster civilization, and in a sense, its forces do not rely much on mobile cities.

"The troops it dispatched must be from a high-level monster civilization," Li Ye pondered. "If the Tomorrow Alliance encounters them, the pressure will undoubtedly be immense."

A few hours later, the Tomorrow Alliance arrived at the fourth main island.

Through the report from the reconnaissance pilot, Li Ye learned about the regional distribution of the fourth main island.

It is precisely divided into multiple functional zones, connected by wide main roads, forming a tight grid-like transportation system.

On the east side of the island lies a massive oil refinery area, with numerous giant oil storage tanks distributed at perfect intervals. Hemispherical domes gleam with a cold metallic luster in the sunlight, and thick oil pipelines meander across the ground like giant pythons, connecting cracking units and distillation towers.

To the west is the industrial and machinery manufacturing area, with giant factory buildings arranged in a checkerboard pattern and roofs covered with solar panel arrays.

The northern section is the power generation and energy hub, where the shells of three power plants appear a cold gray under the sunlight. High-voltage transmission towers stand like steel giants.

The southern part is the logistics and port area, where several giant ships are docked, along with a series of work vehicles.

Moreover, several cities and towns have been built on the island.

Without a doubt, this is an island that has been highly mechanized, and over time, it has become as dilapidated and decayed as an old gear.

The once straight and wide main roads are now riddled with crisscrossing cracks, from which tenacious thorns and lichens sprout, like black veins crawling across the island's body.

The refinery area on the east side has collapsed, the oil storage tanks are corroded into reddish scrap iron, the outer shells are peeling off like rotten tree bark, and the oil pipelines are broken and twisted.

The factory buildings in the western industrial and machinery manufacturing zone have collapsed beyond recognition, with only the skeletons standing forlornly. Looking into the factory interior through the gaps, the production lines have long since stopped operating, the joints of the robotic arms are rusted, and some are even broken and hanging in mid-air.

The power plant cluster in the north has long since lost its power; the concrete surface has peeled away, exposing the rusted steel bars inside. Most of the high-voltage transmission towers have collapsed, and the cables have long since broken, hanging down in the weeds.

The scene at the dock area on the south side was also terrible. The gantry crane's steel cable was broken, and the boom was half-submerged in the murky seawater, like a weary guardian. The wreckage of a giant ship lay aground on the shore, its hull corroded and perforated by seawater, and the containers on the deck were already rusted through.

"Shall we land on this island, Alliance Leader?" Fang Yong asked.

"This place is great, there's a lot of metal resources to collect!" Zhou Xing reminded him. "This way, we can build a second mobile suit."

Li Ye fell into deep thought.

He would naturally not miss the metal resources here, but the situation on the fourth main island has not yet been explored, and the Tomorrow Alliance cannot land rashly.

“Let’s just stay on the island for now,” he said.

As he gave the order, a strange light appeared in Li Ye's eyes.

Something's definitely wrong with this fourth main island.

According to the reconnaissance pilot's report, there were no signs of biological activity on the island.

"Even if it's in the midst of a major internal conflict, there should be quite a few survivors, right?" he thought. "How could an island be completely deserted?"

Old Gear, standing to the side, slapped his forehead.

“Oh, I remember now!” it said. “The ruler of the fourth main island is Duke Belkin, a mechanical nobleman and one of Lord Skyweaver’s confidants.”

"Mechanical nobles? You mechanical lifeforms actually have class distinctions?" Lin Wu couldn't help but say.

The old gear nodded solemnly.

"Of course. Not only mechanical nobles, we also have princes and princesses, who are all descendants of Lord Tianzhi."

".What?"

Everyone was stunned.

Do wasteland gods actually have offspring?
The old gear turned its head to look at the fourth main island in front of it and said with a hint of hope.

"If the industrial and energy bases can be repaired, it can continue to supply energy to the Mechanical World Tree, and who knows, Sky Island might be able to resume operation!"

Li Ye couldn't help but slowly shake his head.

The era that belonged to Tianzhi has clearly passed.

Just then, a reconnaissance plane circling over the fourth main island made a new discovery.

"Someone has appeared on the island, Lord!" the pilot exclaimed excitedly.

"Humans?" Li Ye was stunned. According to his description, dwarves had appeared in various places on the fourth main island.

These dwarves are not made of flesh and blood, but are forged entirely from black iron, brass and other metals.

They are only about 1.5 meters tall, but have a heavy, cubic body, like a moving iron stake, with ancient characters and patterns engraved on every inch of their bodies.

The heads of the steel dwarves are the standard dwarf template—broad square jaws, raised brow ridges, and short, thick metal noses, but their faces have no anthropomorphic features. Where beards should hang, dozens of fine copper chains hang, with miniature iron felts, gears, and forging hammers at their ends, which collide with each step, producing a crisp, metallic clang.

Their arms are as thick as cannon barrels, with multi-segment hydraulic joints at the elbows, heavy-duty grippers with four fingers, short and sturdy legs, and square, felt-like feet.

At this moment, the dwarves are roaming back and forth across the island, collecting various metal resources.

"Old Gear, do you know anything about these Iron Dwarfs?" Lin Wu asked.

Old Gear slapped his forehead.

"Wait a moment, let me think about it."

It was supposed to be a recollection, but it was actually a visit to his dilapidated data center.

A few minutes later, he slapped his forehead again.

"Oh, I remember now!"

He told everyone that these were "Iron Dwarves," mechanical life forms created by the Skyweaver, just like himself.

The Iron Dwarves' mission is to protect the industrial and energy zone and ensure it is always functioning properly.

Duke Belkin, sent by the Skyweavers, was responsible for leading and supervising the Iron Dwarves.

“Don’t be nervous,” Old Gear said, waving his hand. “The Iron Dwarves are allies; we can communicate with them properly.”

A hint of hesitation appeared in Li Ye's eyes.

"Are you sure?"

A dozen minutes later, a pilot reported to him.

In the very center of the island stands a giant flag, with the corpse of a robot hanging atop the flagpole.

According to the pilot's description, the robot has a rather aristocratic appearance.

It has high cheekbones, sharp, sculpted lines, and deep-set eyes inlaid with mechanical gems. It also has a silver mechanical wig on its head.

The robot was also wearing a deep purple velvet coat, which had a medieval court style.

After listening to the pilot's explanation, Old Gear was stunned.

"Isn't that Duke Belkin? How did he get murdered?"

After careful consideration, Li Ye offered his own guess.

When the Celestial Weavers were in hiding and the Skywalker Continent was plunged into internal strife, the Iron Dwarfs guarding the Industrial and Energy Zones betrayed and killed Duke Belkin, hanging his body on a flagpole.

The old gear nodded heavily and sorrowfully; he had clearly guessed it too.

“Damn Iron Dwarves! Why did they betray us!” he exclaimed angrily.

Then the robot turned its head and spoke urgently to the crowd.

"We must retrieve Duke Belkin's body and bury him; a mechanical nobleman cannot be insulted in this way!"

Lin Wu immediately became interested upon hearing this.

"How was Duke Belkin born?"

"Is there any need to guess? He, like all of us, was created by Lord Tianzhi," the old gear replied hesitantly.

"So, he was born a mechanical nobleman, a duke?" Zhou Xing interjected.

“Belkin was born to be a duke, while you were born to be a lighthouse keeper. Isn’t that a bit unfair?” Fang Yong touched his bald head.

Even Li Ye looked at the old gear and silently shook his head.

The old gear fell silent.

As a self-aware mechanical life form, it naturally understood what the others meant.

After a long while, it slowly opened its mouth.

"Order is the most important thing."

"In the mechanical paradise created by Lord Tianzhi, every mechanical life form needs to perform its own duties."

"When I was created, I was given the duties and powers of a lighthouse keeper, while Lord Belkin was given the duties and powers of a mechanical noble. In the end, we are both serving Lord Skyweaver."

After hearing Old Gear's answer, everyone exchanged glances, their eyes flickering.

“Alright, let’s not talk about that for now,” Li Ye said. “Let’s talk about how to communicate with the Iron Dwarves on this giant island.”

“Let me go and communicate with them,” Old Gear said, patting his chest. “After all, they are compatriots; we should be able to communicate well.”

A dozen minutes later, the Iron Dwarves threw the old gear, its body blasted to pieces, onto the beach.

"Don't disturb this island, humans!" The leader of the iron dwarves waved his fist at Li Ye. "Get out of here!"

After sending someone to move the old gear back onto the deck, Li Ye couldn't help but shrug.

"It seems your compatriots are not very friendly."

This time, the old gear has completely lost its ability to move.

"Have you gotten any clues from these iron dwarves?" Lin Wu asked.

Old Gear nodded with a complicated expression.

“Our guess was right. The Iron Dwarves killed Duke Belkin and carved out a territory on the island.” He said, his voice growing increasingly dejected. “They never intended to maintain or defend their energy and industrial base.”

Li Ye's expression changed slightly.

Since proper communication is impossible, the Tomorrow Alliance will have no choice but to use force to take over the island.

At that moment, he suddenly realized a problem.

Why are these iron dwarves collecting so much metal on the island? What are they trying to do?

The old gear answered his question.

"Dungeons! The Iron Dwarves built dungeons underground to provide refuge during their civil war and to build their war machines."

"A war machine?" Li Ye asked in surprise. "What kind of machine is it?"

The question was quickly answered.

The Iron Dwarves were clearly aware that the human mobile city alliance was up to no good, so they moved their troops out of the dungeons and deployed them on the island to be ready for battle.

Li Ye boarded the Night Owl N99 bomber and got a clear look at these war machines.

(End of this chapter)