Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud…
The Fire God Gatling roared, its barrel spewing flames, then spinning as bullets rained down, striking the automatons.
The automatons, already heavily damaged from explosions, could no longer withstand the assault. Cracks widened, and pieces of their bodies flaked off until they finally collapsed, emitting black smoke, completely still.
Bai Ye and Bomb Cat simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, but in the next instant…
Thump, thump, thump!
Heavy footsteps echoed.
Bai Ye turned his head and saw three new automatons emerging from the village.
Bai Ye grinned, "Is this ever going to end? How many of these things are there?"
Bomb Cat replied, "It seems entering the village won't be easy."
Bai Ye nodded, "Let's fight!"
The three automatons were a bit troublesome, but not impossible to deal with. Besides, Bai Ye still had his trump cards: one draw remaining on the gacha machine and one chance for a targeted pull.
As long as he wasn't too unlucky and didn't pull anything useless, Bai Ye wasn't worried.
As the three automatons drew closer, Bai Ye and Bomb Cat entered combat readiness again. Shield Mountain raised his shield, ready to block their attacks.
But at this moment…
Bang!
A gunshot rang out from a distance!
The next instant, the back of one of the automatons' heads exploded.
Its entire head was blown to smithereens, a massive fireball erupting and scattering outwards. The automaton then toppled backward, crashing to the ground.
Bai Ye blinked in surprise. Reinforcements?
"Tch!"
Bomb Cat sneered disdainfully.
Bomb Cat muttered, "That annoying guy is here."
At that moment, a figure rapidly moved across the rooftops towards them – it was Shou Yue.
"Behind the head." Holding a uniquely shaped sniper rifle in one hand, he pointed a finger at the back of his head, "The crystals behind the automatons' heads are their power sources. Shatter the crystals behind their heads, and you can destroy them."
Weaknesses?
Bai Ye's eyes lit up. This would make things easier!
Bai Ye immediately said, "I'll do it!"
Bai Ye sprinted forward, but instead of confronting the automatons directly, he moved to the side, circling around.
An automaton raised its fist and brought it down towards Bai Ye with a roar.
Bang!
As Bai Ye leaped forward, the fist slammed into the ground.
With a thunderous crash, the massive fist shattered a piece of the ground.
As Bai Ye landed from his jump, he stepped on the automaton's arm, then leaped forward again, stepping onto its shoulder. Using the momentum, he sprang upwards.
Bai Ye glided over the automaton's head, and just as Shou Yue had described, he saw the crystal. He reached down, and a mass of black sludge erupted from his body, transforming into flying swords that plunged downwards.
Clang, clang, clang…
The crystal was harder than expected, but on the third strike, it could bear no more and finally shattered.
Light spilled from the crystal, and then…
Rumble!
An explosion sounded.
The crystal detonated, blowing the automaton's head to pieces. The automaton's massive body then toppled forward.
On the other side, Shield Mountain immediately positioned himself in front of the falling automaton.
The giant fist crashed down, colliding with Shield Mountain's shield with a loud clang.
Bomb Cat instantly tossed a bomb into the air. A deafening explosion followed, causing the automaton's body to sway backward.
With the automaton temporarily incapacitated, Shou Yue had a clear shot.
Bang!
Shou Yue, standing on the rooftop, quickly pulled the trigger.
The next instant, the crystal at the back of the automaton's head exploded. As the crystal shattered, a roaring blast erupted, obliterating the automaton's entire head. The headless automaton then plunged forward.
Bai Ye asked, "This time, they shouldn't reappear, right?"
Shou Yue leaped down from the rooftop, "According to my reconnaissance, there should be no more automatons. These were the last three."
Bomb Cat asked, "What about Sister Mulan?"
Shou Yue replied, "Sister Mulan and Brother Kai discovered signs of suspicious individuals. They should be back soon."
As Shou Yue finished speaking, Mulan and Kai appeared at the village entrance and slowly walked in.
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 some kind of sorcery, their movements elusive, making them impossible to catch."
After speaking, Mulan looked at Bomb Cat and Shield Mountain, a slight smile gracing her face, "You two are back? How was the situation in the Yun Zhong Mo Di handled?"
Bomb Cat patted his chest, "You can count on me. The Guan City area is safe. We not only repelled the bandits who attacked Guan City, but we also followed the trail and raided their stronghold. Other bandit factions, like sharks smelling blood, are planning to carve up their territory, so they won't bother Guan City for a while."
"Well done," Mulan smiled, ruffling Bomb Cat's head, "Let's head back."
"Going back already?"
Bai Ye glanced at the status screen. His mission wasn't complete. "Didn't we find anything?"
"Those suspicious individuals have fled. There's nothing we can do if we couldn't catch them." Mulan continued, "However, it wasn't entirely without findings. Those automatons bore the carvings of Wanxiang Tiangong, which confirms this matter is related to Chang'an."
"After all, if it was just one automaton, it's possible it was a replica. But with so many, it's impossible."
Bai Ye asked, "Has Chang'an replied yet?"
"It's not that fast," Mulan said, "It takes at least seven or eight days for messages to go back and forth. So, we'll have to wait."
Hearing this, Bai Ye felt relieved. He had already spent several days in the Glorious Arena. If the clues from Chang'an were lost, this matter would be difficult to handle.
The group left the bandit village and began to retreat towards the Great Wall. Upon returning to the outer wall, the dense horde of demon seeds had dispersed. The Great Wall Garrison was cleaning up the bodies.
Bomb Cat chuckled, "The Great Wall remains safe today."
But at that moment, a member of the Great Wall Garrison ran up to Mulan and said grimly, "Lord Mulan, General Su Lie is injured."
…