Tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk…
The Vulcan Gatling roared, its barrel spewing fire and then spinning as bullets rained down, repeatedly striking the mechanical figures.
The mechanical figures, already damaged from the explosion, could no longer withstand the assault. Their bodies cracked, and pieces began to peel off, finally collapsing to the ground in a heap of black smoke, completely still.
Bai Ye and Bomb Cat breathed a sigh of relief, but in the next instant…
Thump, thump, thump!
Heavy footsteps sounded.
Bai Ye couldn't help but glance sideways and saw three new mechanical figures emerging from the village.
Bai Ye grinned, "Is this ever going to end? How many of these things are there?"
Bomb Cat said, "It seems it won't be easy for us to get into the village."
Bai Ye nodded, "Let's fight!"
The three mechanical figures were a bit troublesome, but not insurmountable. Besides, Bai Ye still had some tricks up his sleeve. He had one more draw left on the gacha machine and one designated pull.
As long as he wasn't unlucky and didn't get some random garbage, Bai Ye wasn't worried.
As the three mechanical figures drew closer, Bai Ye and Bomb Cat entered combat mode again. Shield Mountain raised his shield, ready to block their attacks.
But at that moment…
Bang!
A gunshot suddenly rang out from afar!
The next instant, the back of one of the mechanical figures' heads exploded.
Its entire head shattered, and a massive fireball erupted, scattering outwards. The mechanical figure then toppled backward, crashing to the ground.
Bai Ye blinked in surprise, reinforcements?
"Tsk!"
Bomb Cat, however, scowled with disdain.
Bomb Cat muttered, "That annoying guy is here."
At this moment, a figure moved rapidly across the rooftops, heading towards the three of them. It was none other than Shou Yue.
"At the back of the head," he said, holding a uniquely shaped sniper rifle in one hand and pointing to the back of his head with the other. "The crystals behind the heads of those mechanical figures are their power source. If you shatter the crystals there, you can destroy them."
A weakness?
Bai Ye's eyes lit up. That made things much easier!
Bai Ye immediately said, "I'll do it!"
Bai Ye sprinted forward quickly but didn't engage the mechanical figures directly. Instead, he maneuvered to the side.
A mechanical figure raised its fist and brought it down with a roar towards Bai Ye's position.
Bang!
As Bai Ye leaped, the fist smashed fiercely into the ground.
With a deafening boom, the massive fist shattered a section of the ground.
As Bai Ye landed from the air, he stepped onto the mechanical figure's arm and then leaped forward again, stepping onto its shoulder. Using that momentum, he launched himself upwards.
Bai Ye soared over the mechanical figure's head and, as Shou Yue had described, spotted the crystal. He reached down, and a mass of black sludge erupted from Bai Ye's body, transforming into flying swords that plunged downwards.
Clang, clang, clang…
The crystal was tougher than expected, but on the third stab, it couldn't bear the strain and finally shattered completely.
Light spilled from the crystal, and then…
Boom!
An explosion sounded.
The crystal detonated, blowing the mechanical figure's head to smithereens. The massive body of the mechanical figure then fell forward.
On the other side, Shield Mountain immediately positioned himself in front of the falling mechanical figure.
The giant fist descended, colliding with Shield Mountain's shield with a mighty crash.
Bomb Cat promptly threw a bomb into the air. A thunderous explosion followed, causing the mechanical figure's body to lurch backward.
With the mechanical figure temporarily incapacitated, it was an easy target for Shou Yue.
Bang!
Shou Yue stood on the rooftop and quickly pulled the trigger.
The next instant, the crystal behind the mechanical figure's head exploded. As the crystal shattered, a roaring explosion erupted, obliterating the mechanical figure's entire head. Then, without its head, the mechanical figure toppled forward.
Bai Ye said, "This time, they shouldn't appear again, right?"
Shou Yue leaped down from the rooftop. "According to my scouting, there shouldn't be any more mechanical figures. These were the last three."
Bomb Cat asked, "What about Sister Mulan?"
Shou Yue replied, "Sister Mulan and Brother Kai detected suspicious individuals and should be back soon."
As Shou Yue finished speaking, Mulan and Kai appeared at the village entrance and slowly walked into the village.
Shou Yue asked, "Sister Mulan, did you catch them?"
Mulan's face showed disappointment. "No, those guys were too fast. And they seemed to use sorcery, their movements were elusive, making them impossible to track."
After speaking, Mulan looked at Bomb Cat and Shield Mountain, a slight smile appearing on her face. "You two are back? How was the situation in the Cloud Desert handled?"
Bomb Cat patted his chest. "You can rest assured with me. Guan City is safe now. We not only repelled the bandits who attacked Guan City but also followed the trail and raided their stronghold. Other bandit factions are like sharks smelling blood, planning to divide their territory. They won't bother Guan City for the time being."
"Well done," Mulan said, smiling and ruffling Bomb Cat's head. "Let's head back."
"Going back already?"
Bai Ye glanced at the screen. His mission wasn't complete yet, and he asked, "Didn't we find anything?"
"Those suspicious individuals have escaped. We couldn't catch them, so there's nothing we can do." Mulan replied, "However, it wasn't entirely without findings. Those mechanical figures all bore the carvings of the Myriad Manifestations Guild, confirming that this matter is related to Chang'an."
"After all, if it was just one mechanical figure, it might have been a replica. But so many, it's impossible."
Bai Ye asked, "Has Chang'an replied yet?"
"Not that quickly." Mulan said, "With the back and forth, it will take about seven or eight days. So, we'll have to wait."
Hearing this, Bai Ye felt relieved. He had been delayed for several days in the Honor Arena. If the lead from Chang'an was broken, this matter would be difficult to resolve.
The group left the bandit village and began to withdraw towards the Great Wall. Upon returning to the outside of the Great Wall, the dense swarm of demons had retreated. The Great Wall defenders were cleaning up the corpses.
Bomb Cat chuckled, "The Great Wall remains safe today."
But just then, a Great Wall defender ran up to Mulan and said gravely, "Lord Mulan, General Su Lie is injured."
…