This was not something difficult to discern.
From a distance, one could see black smoke rising from within 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."
"Guaguala, gu gu gu gu gu..."
Dun Shan made a sound and then continued to move 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. As expected, there were signs of battle within the village, but the side fighting against them left Bai Ye and the other two slightly surprised.
Bai Ye picked up a giant arm from the ground. "This is a mechanical puppet's arm, isn't it? And it looks a bit familiar!"
Bai Ye pondered for a moment and then his expression cleared.
The appearance of this arm was the same as the mechanical puppet they encountered during the previous bandit raid. It should be the same standard model.
"But..." Bai Ye said, "something's not right!"
Bomb Cat asked, "What is it?"
Bai Ye pointed to the corpses nearby. "These people should be bandits, right?"
Bomb Cat nodded. "Judging by their attire, it's likely correct. They're all dressed like bandits."
Bai Ye approached a bandit's corpse and examined it. "Look closely at the corpse. There are no obvious sword or knife wounds. The cause of death was shattered bones. See, this part of the chest is completely caved in. It's clearly a result of bones being crushed."
Bomb Cat replied, "They must have been smashed to death by these mechanical puppets around here. What's so strange about that?"
Bai Ye paused, then patted his forehead. "Right, you guys were at the checkpoint in the Cloud Desert 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 grain transport team coming from Chang An. At that time, those bandits had a mechanical puppet with them, and judging by its appearance, it was the same type as these damaged mechanical puppets around here."
Bomb Cat thought for a moment. "So, these mechanical puppets belong to those bandits?"
Bai Ye nodded. "Yes."
Bomb Cat was puzzled. "If these mechanical puppets belong to those bandits, why are they fighting them?"
Bai Ye replied, "That's what I find strange."
Just then...
"Your hidden quest has changed."
"Investigate the secret of the mechanical puppets for the Great Wall Guard. Quest Reward: Shadow Battle Axe x1"
Bai Ye froze for a moment, then a light screen appeared before his eyes. He then noticed that his hidden quest had changed.
The original quest was to help Mulan investigate the appearance of "ghosts," but now it had become to uncover the secret of the mechanical puppets.
Had something happened mid-way that caused the quest to change?
However, although the quest had changed, the reward remained the same: the Shadow Battle Axe.
While Bai Ye was thinking, Bomb Cat suddenly discovered something and quickly raised a bomb, tossing it towards a mud house on the side.
"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 thatched roof burning fiercely in the blast. The roof beams were blown apart and collapsed to the side.
Numerous cracks appeared on the outer walls of the mud house, and then, with a crack, a section caved in.
Black smoke spread in all directions.
At the same time...
Two red lights appeared in the black smoke, and in the next instant, a giant fist punched out.
Dun Shan immediately rushed to the front, raising a square shield with both hands.
Bang!
A violent collision!
From the sound alone, one could tell the immense power of this punch.
However...
Dun Shan remained unmoved!
Putting aside other things, Dun Shan's defensive capabilities were truly eye-opening for Bai Ye. He was simply too sturdy.
Then, Bai Ye looked up ahead. The owner of that giant arm...
It was a mechanical puppet!
Bai Ye recognized this mechanical puppet. It was identical to the one the bandits had brought when they raided the grain transport team.
However, it was definitely not the same one.
The one that Bai Ye, Mulan, and Kai had jointly destroyed was still piled up at the Great Wall Guard's military camp, awaiting a letter from Chang An to confirm whether that mechanical puppet came from Wan Xiang Tian Gong.
Looking at it now, that mechanical puppet didn't seem particularly rare. It appeared to be a standard mass-produced model, and there should be many more identical ones.
Meanwhile...
The mechanical puppet continuously raised its fist and slammed it down on Dun Shan repeatedly.
Bang, bang, bang!
Dun Shan held his shield, as steady as a mountain, not moving at all. Only the ground beneath his feet bore the brunt of the impact, constantly cracking.
Bomb Cat quickly moved to the side and took out a new bomb.
"One sulfur, two nitrates, three wood, deconstruct your magnificent life!"
Bomb Cat shouted as he forcefully threw the bomb.
Boom!
The bomb exploded in the air, creating a huge fireball.
The force of the explosion knocked the mechanical puppet's massive body askew, causing it to tilt to the side.
Bai Ye seized the opportunity, instantly appearing beneath the mechanical puppet and launching a punch.
Bai Ye did not use the poison of the Poison-Poison Fruit ability. He had fought it before, and this mechanical puppet had quite a high resistance to poison, not being easily corroded by it.
Besides, using poison could easily harm Bomb Cat by accident.
So...
Since Bomb Cat was playing with explosions, he would too!
Let's see how many explosions this big guy could withstand!
With that thought, scorching flames erupted from Bai Ye's fist. Large patches of fire shot towards the sky and collided with the mechanical puppet. The moment the flames engulfed the puppet...
"Flame Burst!"
Boom!
The second violent explosion occurred.
This time, the explosion originated from Bai Ye's attack!
The mechanical puppet, as if being hit in a game of ping pong, was sent flying back by Bai Ye's explosion the moment it tilted.
"I love it!" Bomb Cat exclaimed excitedly. "The art of explosion can destroy everything."
As Bomb Cat spoke, he threw another bomb.
Boom!
Another deafening explosion rang out. The mechanical puppet, unable to retaliate, was battered by the shockwaves, shaking continuously. Countless fine cracks appeared on its body, and then it fell backward.
Before the mechanical puppet could get up, the Steel Slime quickly wriggled its body 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 mechanical puppet.
...