Tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk…
The Vulcan Gatling roared, its barrel spitting fire and then spinning as bullets poured forward, repeatedly hitting the automatons.
The automatons’ bodies, already damaged from explosions, could bear it no longer. Cracks on their surfaces gave way, shedding pieces of debris. Finally, they collapsed, falling to the ground, emitting black smoke, and coming to a complete halt.
Bai Ye and Bomb Cat simultaneously let out a sigh of relief. But in the next instant…
Thump, thump, thump!
Heavy footsteps sounded.
Bai Ye couldn't help but turn his head and saw three new automatons emerging from the village.
Bai Ye grinned, "Will this never 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 to the point where they couldn't be dealt with. Besides, Bai Ye still had his trump cards. He had one draw left on the gacha machine, and a single special summon opportunity.
As long as he wasn't terribly unlucky and didn't get some random useless item, Bai Ye wasn't worried.
As the three automatons approached, Bai Ye and Bomb Cat entered combat mode again. Shield Mountain raised his shield, ready to block attacks for the two of them.
But at that moment…
Bang!
A gunshot suddenly rang out from afar!
The next instant, the back of one of the automatons' heads exploded.
Its entire head shattered, and a large fireball erupted, scattering outwards. Then, the automaton toppled backward, crashing to the ground.
Bai Ye was stunned. Reinforcements?
"Tch!"
Bomb Cat scoffed with disdain.
Bomb Cat grumbled, "That annoying guy is here."
At this moment, a figure darted rapidly across the rooftops, heading towards the three of them. It was Shou Yue.
"The back of the head." Carrying a uniquely shaped sniper rifle in one hand, he pointed to the back of his head with a finger. "The crystals behind the heads of these automatons are their power source. If you shatter the crystals behind their heads, you can disable them."
A weakness?
Bai Ye's eyes lit up. That made things much easier!
Bai Ye immediately said, "Leave it to me!"
Bai Ye sprinted forward rapidly, but instead of directly confronting the automatons, he skirted around to the side.
An automaton raised its fist and brought it down towards Bai Ye with a roar.
Bang!
As Bai Ye leaped deep into the air, the fist smashed heavily onto the ground.
With a tremendous booming sound, the giant fist shattered a piece of the ground.
As Bai Ye descended from the air, he stepped onto the automaton's arm, then leaped forward again, stepping onto its shoulder. Using the leverage, he sprang up.
Bai Ye soared over the automaton's head and, as expected, saw the crystals Shou Yue had mentioned. He immediately reached down. Then, a mass of black sludge surged from Bai Ye's body, transforming into flying swords that plunged downwards.
Clang, clang, clang…
The crystals were harder than expected, but when the third sword struck, they could no longer bear the strain and finally shattered completely.
Light overflowed from the crystals, and then…
Boom!
An explosion sounded.
The crystals suddenly detonated, directly blowing apart the automaton's head. Following that, the automaton's massive body toppled forward.
On the other side, Shield Mountain was the first to block in front of the falling automaton.
The giant fist descended, colliding with Shield Mountain's shield with a deafening sound.
Bomb Cat immediately tossed the bomb in his hand into the air. Then, a roaring explosion occurred, causing the automaton's body to stagger backward.
And with the automaton temporarily incapacitated, it was easy for Shou Yue to aim.
Bang!
Shou Yue stood on the rooftop, rapidly pulling the trigger.
The next instant, the crystal behind the automaton's head instantly exploded. As the crystal shattered, a roaring explosion erupted, and the automaton's entire head was pulverized. Following that, the headless automaton fell forward.
Bai Ye asked, "This time, they shouldn't appear again, right?"
Shou Yue leaped down from the rooftop. "According to my reconnaissance, there shouldn't be any more automatons. These are the last three remaining."
Bomb Cat asked, "What about Sister Mulan?"
Shou Yue replied, "Sister Mulan and Brother Kai discovered traces of suspicious individuals. They should be back soon."
Just as Shou Yue finished speaking, Mulan and Kai appeared at the village entrance, slowly walking into the village.
Shou Yue asked, "Sister Mulan, did you catch anyone?"
Disappointment appeared on Mulan's face. "No, those fellows ran too fast. Furthermore, they seemed to know some sort of sorcery, their movements were elusive, making them difficult to catch."
After speaking, Mulan looked at Bomb Cat and Shield Mountain, a slight smile appearing on her face. "You two are back? How did the Yunzhong Mudi matter turn out?"
Bomb Cat patted his chest. "You can rest assured with me handling things. The Guan City area is safe. We not only repelled the bandits who attacked Guan City but also followed the clues to their stronghold. Other bandit forces, like sharks smelling blood, are planning to carve up their territory, so they won't trouble Guan City for a while."
"Well done," Mulan smiled, ruffling Bomb Cat's head. "Let's head back."
"We're going back already?"
Bai Ye glanced at the light screen. His mission was not yet complete. "Didn't we find anything?"
"Those suspicious individuals have fled. If we didn't catch them, there's nothing we can do." Mulan said. "However, it's not entirely without findings. The automatons all have the Wànxiàng Tiāngōng carvings on them, confirming that this matter is related to Chang'an."
"After all, if there was only one automaton, it might have been a counterfeit. But with so many, it's impossible."
Bai Ye asked, "Has Chang'an replied yet?"
"How could it be so fast?" Mulan said. "It takes about seven or eight days for the messages to go back and forth. So, we have to wait."
Hearing this, Bai Ye felt relieved. He had spent several days in the Honor Arena. If the clues from Chang'an had gone cold, this matter would have been troublesome.
The group left the bandit village and began to retreat towards the Great Wall. Upon returning outside the Great Wall, the dense horde of demons had receded. The Great Wall defense forces were clearing the bodies.
Bomb Cat chuckled, "The Great Wall is still safe today."
But at that moment, a member of the Great Wall defense force ran up to Mulan and said gravely, "Commander Mulan, General Su Lie is injured."