In the vast, undulating desert, almost everything was covered by patches of withered yellow grass and poisonous flowering weeds.
Under the scorching sun, the Natural Sulfur Ore Mountain formed by massive rocks stood out prominently.
However, on closer observation, one would notice hundreds of humans swinging pickaxes to chip away at these ore-laden stones, sweating profusely.
Among these humans, Lizardmen with green scales walked around wielding weapons.
All around the Ore Mountain, the constant clinking sounds echoed.
A giant dragon flew swiftly across the sky, its black shadow passing over the edge of the Ore Mountain, gradually descending until it reached a solitary large rock hundreds of meters away.
It hid in the shadow of the rock, where the temperature was slightly cooler, which made it feel a bit more comfortable.
Looking down at its owner holding a telescope, the dragon let out a gentle growl.
"Bai, there are indeed quite a few enemies, and this sun is rather harsh, but this time we won’t need to make an appearance, no, I should say, we don’t need to make an appearance at the front."
"Gao wu?" Bai didn’t understand what its owner meant. Why weren’t they needed? How will the battle be fought?
Seeing its owner take out six silver-glowing robotic dogs and place them in a line, Bai became even more confused.
But when it saw its owner create twelve weapons capable of spewing ammunition to kill enemies, it suddenly understood something.
"Uh-huh, we place the M19 pistol as a module on the robotic dogs and then upgrade them!"
In front of Bai, white lights flickered, and it suddenly found that these metallic beasts seemed different from before.
"Alright, the pistols are mounted. Let’s see... oh, there’s indeed an ammo compartment and an automatic loading mechanism? As expected of originally defensive robots, one robotic dog gets 100 rounds of ammunition. Wait, it even has an automatic targeting system? The setup is quite simple. First, let’s program the robotic dogs to recognize us as allies, then..."
Bai watched as its owner murmured to themselves, tinkering with each of the so-called "robotic dogs," feeling like it had nothing to do.
It couldn’t help but glance towards the direction of the rock-clashing sounds far away, accidentally brushing against a large rock nearby, where the scorching temperature burned its wing, prompting a low growl.
"Setup complete! Let’s send them out, and we shouldn’t just stand here idly either, Bai, come, I’ve just set up an underground shelter here."
Bai, seeing an entrance suddenly appear on the ground, found it quite familiar by now. Watching the robotic dogs depart toward the direction with the stones, it suddenly noticed its owner holding a small black device.
It recalled this was the device its owner used when attacking those enemies hiding underground.
"Let’s use the drone to monitor how the robotic dogs perform. If necessary, we can go out and check."
Bai followed its owner into the underground. Although it wasn’t spacious here, once its owner placed a large piece of ice in the corner, it instantly felt cooler.
Bai sprayed the ice block with Ice Spray again, further enlarging the space and reducing the temperature.
As its owner brought out a glass and grilled meat, Bai knew what came next.
Eat kebabs, drink iced drinks, and enjoy!
"Wow, that was quick. Those Lizardmen and beggars have seen the robotic dogs, but they didn’t attack... but we’re not the same."
Bai watched as the screen in its owner’s hand showed the six small metal creatures dispersing, then charging at the Lizardmen and beggars nearby with indiscriminate attacks!
The surroundings were very quiet. Bai could hear the tiny "bang bang" sounds from outside, the screams of the Lizardmen and beggars, and the strong scent of blood.
"Not bad, almost one shot, one kill, very cost-effective. This thing was originally for defense; I’ve just repurposed them for mining."
Bai leaned over to look at the small screen in its owner’s hand.
The Lizardmen and beggars were now in chaos. Anyone approaching within a hundred meters of these robotic dogs would be immediately gunned down.
Even those attempting to attack would be swiftly killed by the other robotic dogs, leaving no chance to counterattack.
"However, there are weaknesses, and the Lizardmen and beggars will eventually find them, but that’s why we deployed six at once."
Bai neither nodded nor shook its head, semi-comprehending until it saw on the screen that dozens of Lizardmen tried to grab one robotic dog, only to be shredded by the other five, finally understanding its owner’s strategy.
"Gao wu." Bai lazily lounged beside the ice block, enjoying its favorite temperature while munching on the kebabs and steaks handed by Lin Yue.
Previously eager to help, now it had no desire to leave this comfortable spot.
With the robotic dogs handling the enemies outside, it wasn’t necessary for it to step forward.
Drinking the icy cola its owner handed over, Bai contentedly burped and relaxed with closed eyes.
After an uncertain amount of time, it finally opened its eyes, finding the ice block beside it hardly melted, and its owner Lin Yue was no longer in the shelter.
"Gao wu?" Bai instantly got up, charging out of the underground shelter, the outside heat making it uncomfortable, but it paid no heed, spreading its wings and heading toward the Ore Mountain!
"Bai! Rest well, I’ll call you once I’m done."
Hearing its owner say this after spiraling down to the ground, seemingly excited.
"Gao wu." Bai circled around, finding the corpses of Lizardmen gathered and burned, while the beggars were buried in a pit dug by its owner.
The robotic dogs from the earlier battle were now mining again and had seemingly extracted a substantial amount of Natural Sulfur Ore already.
"This trip was worth it. I knew the Lizardmen would come back to steal ore. Bai, let’s head back to the shelter to rest a bit, and later see if the Lizardmen return."
Saying this, its owner headed back towards the shelter, and Bai stole a glance at the working robotic dogs, then turned to follow.
On the desert, only the working robotic dogs remained.
The black smoke pillar rose to the sky; they continually hammered at the rocks, and within this desert, only the sound of their hammering echoed.