This was not difficult to discern.
From a distance, smoke was visible rising from the village, and several houses were clearly damaged. However, perhaps because they were still some distance away, no sounds of fighting could be heard.
Bomb Cat sat on Dun Shan's shoulder and patted his head. "Let's pick up the pace."
"Guagua, gugugugu..."
Dun Shan made a sound and then moved forward with effort. Although...
His speed was still slow, but Dun Shan was doing his best.
Soon, the three arrived at the entrance of the bandit village. Indeed, there were signs of battle within, but the identity of one of the fighting parties surprised Bai Ye and the other two.
Bai Ye picked up a giant arm from the ground. "This is a mecha's arm, isn't it? And it looks a bit familiar!"
Bai Ye pondered for a moment and then a look of realization dawned on his face.
The arm looked identical to the mecha that had been brought by the bandits during their previous attack. They should be the same standard issue mecha.
"But..." Bai Ye said, "Something's not right!"
Bomb Cat asked, "What is it?"
Bai Ye pointed to a nearby corpse. "These people should be bandits, right?"
Bomb Cat nodded. "Judging by their attire, they certainly are. They all look like bandits."
Bai Ye approached a bandit's corpse and examined it. "Look closely at the body. There are no obvious stab or slash wounds. The cause of death was bone crushing. See here, this section of the chest has completely caved in. It's clear the bones were pulverized."
Bomb Cat retorted, "They must have been crushed to death by these surrounding mechas. What's so strange about that?"
Bai Ye paused for a moment, then patted his forehead. "Right, you two were at the pass market in the Yun Zhong Mo Di at the time, so you wouldn't know."
Bomb Cat asked curiously, "What is it?"
Bai Ye explained, "A week ago, a group of bandits raided a supply convoy from Chang An. At that time, the bandits had a mecha with them. From the looks of it, it's the same type as these damaged mechas around us."
Bomb Cat thought for a moment. "So, these mechas belonged to those bandits?"
Bai Ye nodded. "Yes."
Bomb Cat was puzzled. "If these mechas belonged to the bandits, why are they fighting the bandits?"
Bai Ye replied, "That's what's strange to me."
Just then...
"Your hidden quest has changed."
"Investigate the secret of the mechas for the Great Wall Guard. Quest Reward: Shadow War Axe x1"
Bai Ye blinked in surprise, and then a light screen appeared before his eyes. He discovered that his hidden quest had changed.
The original quest was to help Mulan investigate the appearance of "Ghosts." Now it had changed to investigating the secret of the mechas.
Had something happened midway that caused the quest to change?
However, although the quest had changed, the reward remained the same: the Shadow War Axe.
While Bai Ye was contemplating, Bomb Cat suddenly noticed something. He raised a bomb and threw it towards a dirt house to the side.
"Be careful, move back!"
Bomb Cat shouted loudly to Dun Shan and Bai Ye, and then...
Boom!
An explosion occurred.
The house was instantly engulfed in flames. The thatch on the roof burned fiercely in the explosion, the roof beams snapped, and collapsed to the side.
Numerous cracks appeared on the outer walls of the dirt house, and then with a crunch, a section of it caved in.
Black smoke billowed outwards.
At the same time...
Two red lights appeared in the black smoke, and the next moment, a giant fist punched out.
Dun Shan immediately rushed forward, raising a square shield with both hands.
Bang!
A violent collision!
From the sound, it was evident that the punch carried immense power.
However...
Dun Shan remained completely still!
Putting aside other aspects, Dun Shan's defensive capabilities were truly astounding to Bai Ye. He was just too sturdy.
Next, Bai Ye looked up. The owner of that giant arm...
It was a mecha!
Bai Ye recognized this mecha. It was identical to the one the bandits had brought when they attacked the supply convoy.
However, it certainly wasn't the same one.
The one that Bai Ye, Mulan, and Kai had jointly destroyed was still piled up in the Great Wall Guard's camp, awaiting a letter from Chang An to confirm if that mecha originated from Wanxiang Tiangong.
Looking at it now, mechas didn't seem to be that rare. They were standard mass-produced models, and there should be many identical ones.
Meanwhile...
The mecha continuously raised its fist and smashed down on Dun Shan repeatedly.
Bang, bang, bang!
Dun Shan held his shield, unwavering like a mountain, not moving an inch. Only the ground beneath his feet cracked under the impact.
Bomb Cat swiftly moved to the side and took out another bomb.
"One sulfur, two saltpeter, three wood, deconstruct your glorious life!"
Bomb Cat shouted as he forcefully threw the bomb.
Boom!
The bomb exploded in the air, creating a massive fireball.
The impact of the explosion caused the mecha's massive body to wobble and lean to one side.
Seizing the opportunity, Bai Ye attacked, instantly closing in beneath the mecha and unleashing a punch.
Bai Ye did not use the poison ability of his Devil Fruit. He had fought it before, and this mecha had a rather high poison resistance, making it not easily corroded by venom.
Furthermore, using poison could easily injure Bomb Cat.
So...
Since Bomb Cat was playing with explosions, he would too!
Let's see how many explosions this behemoth could withstand!
With that thought, searing flames erupted from Bai Ye's fist. A large plume of fire shot upwards, colliding with the mecha. The moment the flames enveloped the mecha...
"Flame Burst!"
Boom!
A second violent explosion occurred.
This time, the explosion originated from Bai Ye's attack!
The mecha, like a ping pong ball being hit, was blasted back by Bai Ye's explosion the moment it fell.
"I like it!" Bomb Cat exclaimed excitedly. "The art of explosion can destroy everything."
As Bomb Cat spoke, he threw another bomb.
Boom!
Another thunderous explosion sounded. The mecha, unable to retaliate, was blasted around by the impact, its body riddled with countless fine cracks, and then it toppled backward.
Before the mecha could get up, the Steel Slime rapidly shifted its form and transformed into the Vulcan Gatling in Bai Ye's hand.
Without hesitation, Bai Ye held the Vulcan Gatling and pulled the trigger towards the mecha.
...