A blue, narrow blade forged from crystal suddenly flew from afar, striking the wooden puppet's head.
The blade was not large; on the contrary, it appeared rather small in front of the wooden puppet's massive physique.
However, the instant it hit the wooden puppet, the puppet was forced back a step, its body tilting backward, almost falling to the ground.
And just then...
A blue figure appeared on the ancient road, running rapidly. After rushing through the crowd, he caught the flying narrow blade and then delivered a powerful kick to the wooden puppet's chest.
*Bang!*
The wooden puppet's massive body was actually kicked flying about two to three meters, its feet leaving two deep mud imprints on the ground.
Bai Ye watched the falling figure and said with a smile, "Ge Kai is so cool!"
The person who suddenly appeared was none other than Kai!
Kai pouted, "What's the use of being cool? I still have to listen to girls!"
The moment Kai spoke, Mulan quickly weaved through the crowd, holding her greatsword, and leaped directly above the wooden puppet's head. She raised her sword and slashed down forcefully.
And the position Mulan chose to slash was the stone block in the groove on top of the wooden puppet's head.
*Crack!*
After one strike, the stone block shattered.
The light emanating from the stone block dimmed and disappeared.
The light in the wooden puppet's eyes vanished once more, and it finally collapsed to the ground, this time completely lifeless.
With the appearance of Mulan and Kai, a large number of Great Wall Guards arrived and quickly subdued the horse bandits.
Mulan jumped down from atop the wooden puppet and looked at Bai Ye, "Why is there a mechanical man here?"
Bai Ye spread his hands, "You're asking me?"
Mulan asked, "Then who should I ask?"
Bai Ye pointed at the horse bandits, "That wooden puppet, well, the mechanical man you mentioned, was originally on that flatbed cart. Then those horse bandits activated it. As for where the mechanical man came from, I'm not sure."
Mulan said, "I'll go ask."
As Mulan spoke, she sheathed her sword. It was at this moment...
Mulan's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a masked man in the crowd.
The moment their eyes met, the man smiled, then quickly turned and left.
"It's you!"
Mulan shouted loudly, then ran forward frantically, pushing aside everyone who stood in her way.
Kai was slightly startled, and then chased after Mulan.
What's going on?
Bai Ye glanced at the light screen. The mission hadn't ended. He quickly followed the two forward.
They quickly passed through the crowd, and the three of them, one after another, rushed out of the ancient road and chased into the wilderness beside it. However, after only dozens of meters, a hurricane suddenly kicked up in the wilderness, stirring up sand and dust, quickly obscuring their vision.
The figure of the masked man could be faintly seen in the sandstorm.
Mulan said angrily, "Stop! I know it's you."
The masked man did not respond, but continued forward. Soon, he completely disappeared into the sandstorm and could no longer be seen.
Mulan roared, "I will definitely catch you, I swear!"
Kai stepped forward and asked, "Is it the person you mentioned before?"
Mulan gritted her teeth, "It must be him, I won't mistake him."
Bai Ye stepped forward curiously, "What's going on?"
Kai remained silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "A long time ago, Mulan requested to come to the Great Wall from Chang'an to defend this land. She was very capable, everyone knew that. At that time, the commander of the Great Wall, despite strong opposition, entrusted her with a heavy responsibility. However, not long after, the Great Wall's defenses were breached one after another. Everyone suspected her, because everyone knew that beyond the Great Wall was a harsh and bitter land. Defending this land was not an easy task, especially for those who lived a life of luxury in Chang'an and were unwilling to come here, unless..."
Bai Ye chimed in, "They had ulterior motives!"
Kai nodded and continued, "The commander at the time still believed in Mulan. However, the commander's body was discovered the next day, and Mulan fled. But she never truly left, always lingering outside Chang'an. Whenever the horn sounded and the smoke signals rose, she would appear, helping the Great Wall Guards repel the enemy. Afterwards, she returned to the Great Wall and formed an elite team of Great Wall Guards. However, even after returning to the Great Wall, she never forgot the phantom who had framed her and had always wanted to find him."
Bai Ye asked, "So, that guy just now was the phantom?"
Kai glanced at Mulan and said, "It should be!"
At this moment, Mulan turned around, took a deep breath, and said, "As long as he still intends to plot against the Great Wall, there will definitely be a chance to meet again. Next time, I won't let him escape."
"You assisted the Great Wall Guards in repelling the horse bandits and reclaiming the provisions. Mission reward: Mechanical Puppet Part x1"
Mechanical Puppet Part (Item) (Gold): A mechanical puppet part manufactured according to the records of Myriad Phenomena Craftsmanship. It can be used in the manufacturing of mechanical puppets. Currently collected parts: 1/12
At this moment, a light screen appeared before Bai Ye, indicating that Bai Ye's mission had been completed.
Then came the reward...
It was actually of gold quality. However, despite being gold quality, it was quite useless, just a part for a mechanical puppet.
But even if it was useless, it was still gold quality...
"So..." Bai Ye couldn't help but say, "If I collect enough of these, it becomes an Eastern-style mecha?"
Bai Ye was speechless. It was a huge carrot dangled on a stick. Twelve parts. Don't think that the first one was obtained so easily; there were still eleven more parts. And these eleven parts were a set; they had to be compatible, not just any eleven gold-quality mechanical puppet parts could be assembled.
In fact, in his previous life, Bai Ye had indeed pursued mechas, after all, that was a man's romance.
But...
The process of collecting them was truly tear-jerking. At that time, Bai Ye had six and a half sets of mechas.
Yes, six sets, but not a single one had all its parts!
Of course, there were indeed people who managed to build mechas. Bai Ye had seen more than one. It was just that this matter was heavily reliant on luck. It wasn't something you could achieve just by trying hard. If you got one part and excitedly wanted to collect the rest at all costs, the most likely outcome was being swindled out of everything you owned.
"Let's just consider this thing as a decoration."
Bai Ye sighed. However, it wasn't all bad news.
There was another mission!
"You have obtained a hidden mission."
"Assist Mulan in investigating the appearance of the phantom. Mission reward: Shadow War Axe x1"
Just like in the Land of Monsters, this hidden mission was a chain mission this time!
...