A Guide to Farming in a Mobile City-Chapter 154: Fighting the Giant Fish

"ing, the Iron Whale took down the Giant Fish."
Fang Yong ed.
"Well done."Li Ye nodded.
Through the searchlight, he saw the Giant Fish floating belly-up on the water's surface.
The opponent’s large, round eyes made him feel quite uncomfortable.
"Phew, what a huge fish. If we brought it onto the Mobile City, we could eat for several days."Zhou Xing sighed."Why don’t we just haul it up?"
"It’s best not to do that."Yang Zheng’s voice came through immediately."I’ve heard people say... those who eat the flesh of these Giant Fish... turn into monsters."
After some discussion among the four, they decided to abandon retrieving the Giant Fish.
The four Mobile Cities continued on their journey.
Li Ye, having lost any intention to return to sleep, left his room and walked along the armor deck to the cockpit.
Currently, Tang Fang was on duty in the cockpit, while A-Bai had gone to sleep.
To Li Ye’s surprise, Lin Wu was also there.
At the moment, he was reading a book.
"This is the sci-fi novel 'Six Bodies'."He raised the book toward Li Ye.
Li Ye looked at it with curiosity.
"Did it drop from a monster?"he asked.
Lin Wu shook his head.
"It was published by the Apocalypse Sect. When I was buying item blueprints for daily necessities in the Red Ridge Zone, I found a shop run by the Apocalypse Sect selling books, so I bought a few."
"Really? How much does one cost?"
"Usually between 50 to 200 Crystal Coins."
As he answered, a hint of emotion flickered in Lin Wu’s eyes.
"As expected of a world-class organization, they even have the capability to publish sci-fi novels in the wasteland. They’ve actually managed to cultivate talent capable of writing science fiction..."
Li Ye nodded repeatedly.
The resources of these world-class organizations were indeed outrageous.
Just then, footsteps were heard outside.
Li Ye turned to look and saw a chef from the Public Canteen carrying a tray into the room.
On the tray were two bowls of noodles, each topped with a fried egg.
It was obvious this was the Late-night Snack for Lin Wu and Tang Fang.
The Public Canteen on the Tomorrow didn’t sell Late-night Snacks and closed at 7 p.m.
However, as the deputy and crew member, the two of them had this privilege.
"Shall I make a bowl for you too, Lord?"the chef asked cautiously.
"No need."Li Ye waved his hand."You’ve worked hard too, go get some rest."
The three of them started chatting idly in the cockpit.
Tang Fang had already set the autopilot system, and was now slurping his noodles.
Thanks to improved meals on the Tomorrow, he no longer looked as skinny as before.
As the two ate noodles, Li Ye was pondering a question.
"Say, why do you think that fish came toward the Tomorrow Alliance?"he asked in confusion.
After a moment of thought, Lin Wu responded.
"Do you still remember what Dr. Mick once told us?"
"What was it?"
"He said the Giant Fish’s favorite food... is humans."
Under the astonished gazes of Li Ye and Tang Fang, Lin Wu gave his own deduction.
The Giant Fish might be highly sensitive to the commotion caused by the movement of Mobile Cities. They might even know that these steel behemoths carried a large number of humans.
The Giant Fish from earlier had likely sensed this, and swiftly rushed over in an attempt to feed.
Tang Fang slowly put down his chopsticks, hesitating as he spoke.
"Brother Lin’s speculation does make a lot of sense..."
Li Ye also nodded slowly.
At that moment, the walkie-talkie in his hand buzzed to life.
"! Emergency situation spotted 10 nautical miles ahead. In the sea, the sea..."
From the walkie-talkie came the panicked voice of the SH-60 “Seahawk” Anti-Submarine Aircraft’s communications officer.
"Calm down and speak clearly!"Li Ye said sharply.
"There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of large objects moving in the sea! It looks like a Giant Fish swarm!"
The faces of Tang Fang and Lin Wu instantly changed upon hearing that. They quickly set aside their bowls and sprang into action.
"If we change direction and accelerate now, can we avoid them in time?"Tang Fang asked while rapidly operating the controls.
"Absolutely not!"Lin Wu quickly shook his head."These Giant Fish are coming straight for us! In the sea, they’re much more agile and faster than a Mobile City!"
Li Ye picked up the walkie-talkie and issued a series of commands.
The Tomorrow Alliance entered maximum alert.
The Iron Whale began to accelerate slowly and entered a full city lockdown mode.
This defensive-type Mobile City moved to the front of the convoy to serve as a shield.
The Engineer and the Peacemaker reduced speed and fell back to the rear of the formation.
The Tomorrow began mass deployment of its combat forces.
Black Hawk Helicopters and Vanguard Armed Gunships successively took to the skies, while Convoy One, Convoy Two, and the FlightIII-class destroyers launched in order.
On the deck, combat personnel quickly moved into position.
The Engineer then fired multiple flares, illuminating the sea region.
Li Ye ascended the Watchtower and raised his binoculars.
The sea ahead was boiling.
Thousands upon thousands of Giant Fish broke through the water's surface, their massive bodies briefly lit by the searchlights of the Mobile Cities.
They surged forward in dense, packed formation, covering every visible inch of sea.
Li Ye furrowed his brows.
This was real trouble.
If it were just one or two Giant Fish, they posed no threat to a Mobile City. But a whole swarm of them greatly amplified the danger.
The water surface provided the Giant Fish with natural cover. They moved freely through the terrain-less sea, while Mobile Cities’ conventional weapons struggled to target them.
Most terrifying of all, the Giant Fish might ram the hulls of the Mobile Cities in groups, causing breaches, flooding, and sinking.
Staring at the approaching swarm, he softly spoke into the walkie-talkie,
"Yang Zheng, open fire."
In an instant, all the cannons aboard the Peacemaker opened fire.
A storm of cannon fire engulfed the sea ahead. Explosions raged across the surface, sending plumes of water mixed with gun smoke and bubbles skyward in waves.
Countless Giant Fish were blasted apart, while others, agitated, frantically shoved their companions and leapt from the water.
With a whistling roar, the Tomorrow’s airborne combat forces arrived over the fish swarm.
Six Black Hawk Helicopters swept forward at high speed, unleashing carpet fire on the fish that occasionally breached the surface.
The Vanguard Armed Gunships went into full firepower mode.
BK-27 Rotary Heavy Autocannon, "Odin’s Hammer" 105mm Heavy Howitzer, "Avenger" Rocket Launch Pods, AIM-9 Rattler Missiles...
While raining intense firepower onto the swarm, the gunships’ bomb bays opened, dropping preloaded MK6 Depth Charges like a rainstorm.
The light grey depth charges traced brief arcs through the air, hitting the water with faint tremors.
To effectively damage the swarm, the crew had set the detonation triggers to hydraulic fuses at 30 meters deep.
5 meters, 15 meters, 25 meters...
Beneath the fish-agitated, dark and frenzied sea, the depth charges’ fuses blinked with red light.
In a flash, the sea seemed struck by invisible giant fists.
Blinding white spheres of light expanded, their shockwaves forming translucent walls of water that radiated outward. Towering water columns surged one after another.
The fish swarm was torn apart by more than half. Mangled flesh rose with the blasts, forming a mist of blood.
And it wasn’t over yet.
With a wave from Li Ye, the Tomorrow’s deck cannons opened fire.
Molten Cannons and Frost Cannons hit the forward area in an instant, the explosions creating an inferno of intertwining fire and ice.
Under the bombing of the Tomorrow Alliance, the once-surging fish swarm immediately suffered half its number in casualties.
But the remaining Giant Fish didn’t retreat. Instead, they accelerated toward the Mobile Cities.
At this point, they were less than 300 meters from the Tomorrow Alliance.
The Iron Whale suddenly surged with full power, charging forward like a siege-breaking shell.
Yet the Giant Fish showed no sign of retreat.
Perhaps driven by the scent of heavy bombardment, or the desperate hunger for the “food” inside these steel giants, the Giant Fish grew even more ferocious and frenzied, charging forward in waves.
"Thump!"
When the first Giant Fish struck the Iron Whale’s hull, Fang Yong and everyone else heard the dull impact.
Then came the second, the third... countless Giant Fish rammed the cities in suicide charges. Their scales shattered against the hulls, flesh splattering like fish paint on the surface.
From above, the Iron Whale looked like a metal can wrapped in a school of Giant Fish.
Its charging momentum gradually slowed, and its speed decreased.
This defensive-type city began to tremble, as if being struck by countless iron hammers.
The Giant Fish did not stop.
They charged in waves, using their bodies as weapons to ram the city. The Iron Whale's hard hull gradually started to show some dents.
During this time, many Giant Fish leapt out of the water one after another.
Their massive tails whipped through the air to adjust their angle, landing directly onto the Iron Whale’s deck.
"Bang!"
When the Giant Fish landed, the deck shook violently, causing nearby railings and other structures to tremble as well.
This time, dozens of Giant Fish landed across the Iron Whale’s deck.
They thrashed their tails violently, flapping their bodies, their heavy mouths opening and closing, bulging eyes rolling as they began searching for food on the deck.
Even after leaving the seawater, these Giant Fish remained remarkably agile.
They used their pectoral and pelvic fins to crawl like seals, their spines coiling and springing like springs.
From atop the Watchtower, Li Ye clearly witnessed this scene and couldn't help but furrow his brow.
A group of several-dozen-meter-long fish flopping around on a Mobile City's deck—it was enough to make one's skin crawl.
"Did you see that?"Lin Wu's voice came through the walkie-talkie."Judging by how skillfully the Giant Fish move on the deck, they’ve grown used to hunting humans aboard Mobile Cities."
Li Ye nodded slowly.
He couldn’t imagine how many seafaring Mobile Cities had been ravaged by Giant Fish.
Thankfully, the Iron Whale had already sealed its deck and entered lockdown mode, preventing the Giant Fish from hunting humans inside.
"My god..."Inside the sealed cockpit, Fang Yong was watching the scenes on the deck.
Everyone else in the cockpit was equally stunned.
With a dull thud, a Giant Fish flopped its body and slammed into the cockpit.
Its head pressed against the cockpit window, and its bulging eyes rolled around, starting to observe the humans inside.
Immediately after, the Giant Fish began ramming the cockpit like mad. But as a defensive-type Mobile City, the Iron Whale’s structures were extremely solid and sturdy. Even though the Giant Fish's skull dented and it was bleeding profusely, the cockpit remained completely unshaken.
Seeing this, Fang Yong gradually felt relieved.
"See that? Though it’s massive, it’s nothing more than a brainless brute that only knows how to throw its weight around! There’s no reason to be afraid of them!"
As if hearing his words, the Giant Fish outside suddenly stopped moving.
Its eyes rolled around and then stared straight at Fang Yong through the cockpit window.
The cockpit fell silent in an instant.
Fang Yong opened his mouth wide, a drop of sweat falling from his forehead.
"Wait... it can’t be that smart, right?"he muttered.
Elsewhere, Li Ye was commanding everyone aboard the Tomorrow to repel the incoming fish swarm.
Thanks to the earlier rounds of bombing and the Iron Whale absorbing most of the pressure at the front, the battle was going rather smoothly.
The fully-armed Tomorrow drew the attention of the majority of the Giant Fish.
Li Ye quickly crossed the deck and returned to the cockpit.
Centered around the Tomorrow, Convoy One, Convoy Two, Black Hawk Helicopters, FlightIII-class Destroyers, and Vanguard Armed Gunships began pouring out firepower.
Under the dense web of fire, large numbers of Giant Fish were annihilated.
Li Ye looked out from the cockpit window at the floating fish corpses on the sea surface.
Most of the Giant Fish had streamlined bodies, fine scales, and silver-white bellies exposed upward.
"These look like... herring?"he murmured to himself.
In the ocean, herring are known for forming massive swarms, often numbering in the millions.
Compared to the 20-40 cm herring on Blue Star, the herring here were more than a dozen meters long.
With such size and numbers, they were especially terrifying.
And it wasn’t just herring—Li Ye saw other fish species too.
Seventy to eighty meters long, laterally flattened bodies, small mouths, thick lips, and sharp teeth—parrotfish.
Over a hundred meters long, bulky bodies, giant mouths with protruding lower jaws and sharp teeth—groupers.
Short and stout bodies, huge heads, wide mouths full of sharp teeth, and dorsal fins with glowing camouflage "lures"—anglerfish.
Strong tails, explosive power, capable of leaping hundreds of meters above the water—flying fish.
Most outrageous of all was an eel two to three hundred meters long.
This Giant Fish charged headfirst through the dense firepower and slammed into the Tomorrow’s hull, leaving a clearly visible dent.
Watching these scenes unfold, Li Ye couldn’t help but shake his head repeatedly.
"I never thought that the Tomorrow Alliance’s first naval battle would be against fish,"he sighed."And such an intense one at that."
Lin Wu also shook his head.
"Seems like these Giant Fish in the sea pose an even greater threat than Monstrous Mobile Cities!"
During this period, several Giant Fish made desperate leaps onto the deck.
And waiting for them were the Bloodtear Ripper Heavy Machine Guns, Scorcher Flame Throwers, and Remington 870 shotguns.
This time, all combat personnel were tightly positioned behind cover.
After all, Li Ye had already experienced firsthand the importance of deck defense during the battles against the Zombie Swarm and the Dinosaurs.