Mechanical Alchemist

Queens, Parrot Street.

Su Lun walked out of a deserted alley expressionlessly.

As he approached, a drizzle began to fall from the sky, and there were few pedestrians on the streets.

He held a black umbrella to shield himself from the rain, and the raindrops pattered lightly on its surface.

Extending his senses outward, he did not detect any formidable enemies.

It was as he expected.

The mastermind behind the scenes wouldn’t make his entry too difficult.

Dressed in a black suit, Su Lun walked past several gun shops.

It didn’t seem any different from an ordinary day here.

...

When Su Lun arrived, at Martin Arms Company’s headquarters, No. 19 Parrot Street, the office was filled with smoke.

Razor Gang, Motorcycle Club, Fire Thieves, Ghosthead Gang...

The leaders of several major gangs from the southern city district were all gathered together.

Each one had a dark expression, engaged in a heated argument.

"Lawrence, what the hell is going on? Why this sudden rush for ’goods’? We’ve already managed two to three hundred since last night. Isn’t that enough?"

"Exactly. If it were just ordinary young girls, fine, there are plenty to find. But damn, you also want professionals! My underground brothers are running ragged; we’ve kidnapped everyone we could in Queens. You say it’s still not enough and need at least another hundred or two? If we keep this up, it’s going to cause big problems."

"Hmph, well I can’t manage anymore! Only the young ladies from wealthy families become professionals early, but after we kidnapped a few more, it seems the rich folk are onto us. They’re prepared now. Just now, my boys tried to kidnap a manufacturer’s daughter on Pelican Street, and a gunfight broke out, killing eight people! Eight of my brothers!"

"..."

Hearing the complaints of his fellow mob bosses, Lawrence, the "Raging Bear" from the Razor Gang, stood with a face just as dark and eyes filled with unspeakable bitterness and fatigue.

After listening, he shook his head and sighed, "Gentlemen, I know it’s hard. But this is a strict order from the higher-ups. Just do your jobs."

Hearing this, Albert, the "Welding Gun" from the Motorcycle Club, said discontentedly, "Lawrence, give us a clear answer. Who needs these goods so desperately and in such large numbers? Aren’t you afraid the Military Intelligence will start watching us?"

Lawrence shook his head, "Forgot the rules of the road? Even if I could say, would you dare to hear it? The steward from ’Blackstone Corporation’ is here, who it is doesn’t matter anymore."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Indeed, as Lawrence pointed out, these mobsters mainly dealt in arms smuggling which all depended on "Blackstone Corporation" for a share of the spoils. An order from their big shots indeed was something they couldn’t defy.

Yet, after a moment’s thought, someone still unwillingly asked, "How big of a ’Big Shot’?"

Lawrence wanted to say, but he dared not, so he simply pointed upwards and said, "Top of the sky big."

Continuing, he added, "Go get it done, gentlemen. I can guarantee there won’t be interference from the officials in Lindun. Can’t get a merchant’s daughter? Then target nobility, or scouting in the major preparatory academies... no matter what, you must gather enough! I’m laying it all out here; if you pull this off, we all strike it rich. If not, if the Big Shot gets angry, I’m definitely doomed, and you surely won’t survive either."

The faces of the gang leaders showed fluctuating expressions, fully aware of the seriousness.

Eager to find a solution, they all bit their teeth and started notifying their gang members to continue the kidnappings.

...

Su Lun continued on his way.

He wanted to sense if there were any top professionals lurking around and to see if he could pick up any trace of Karma.

Walking on, he eventually reached a building whose iron gate bore the number 19.

Sabrina had already gathered that this place used to be a military warehouse abandoned by the Luying military. Now, it was the office of "Martin Arms Company."

A few gang members on lookout under the eaves were idly chatting away, clearly bored.

Su Lun knew he had found the right place.

Because in his perception, in a room on the third floor of this building, there was a group of third or fourth-tier professionals.

Although he didn’t sense the presence of Kama or Augustus, among those people, there was one Su Lun had seen before.

It was the Raging Bear Lawrence from the Razor Gang.

Given what had happened previously at the music clubhouse, this mob boss was probably the one who handled the dirty work for the Rodriguez family. He was also the one who provided virgin blood for Augustus.

Finding him would immediately reveal where Augustus was.

Su Lun lingered at the door for half a minute, observing his surroundings and just about to enter, but at that moment, a black steam sedan swiftly approached from the side of the street.

As soon as the car arrived, the driver opened the window and shouted, "Hey, brother, delivery."

The guard looked at him and then the entrance barrier was opened, allowing the car to drive straight in.

In his perception, aside from the driver, there were three more people in the car.

Listening to their conversation, one of them was likely the "goods" that had been kidnapped.

Normally, this wouldn’t have made Su Lun take a second glance, but he unexpectedly discovered that there was someone clinging to the underside of the car!

Moreover, the soul fluctuation of that person was familiar—it was the Old Cowboy "Spiritual Detective" Jerome whom he had seen before.

"How did this guy get here?"

A moment of confusion flashed through Su Lun’s mind.

But seeing this guy infiltrating by clinging to the bottom of a vehicle, he immediately guessed that he was probably here to investigate.

After all, this guy was a very capable private detective.

"But this matter obviously involves a lot, given this guy’s cautious nature, he shouldn’t dare to take on such a case…" Su Lun suddenly thought of something and added mentally, "Could it be that his assistant Amelia was kidnapped?"

Thinking it over, he was most likely right.

Based on the information gathered so far, Rodriguez family’s Augustus might be a very old monster.

That meant, he was heavily reliant on the Vampire Ring for sustenance.

But the assessment previously indicated that the curse properties of the ring required increasingly greater sacrifices as it got later.

After being seriously injured by an assassination attempt yesterday, the number of young girls he needed to consume was probably staggering.

As Su Lun learned from Sabina, from last night till now, the cases of missing young professional girls in southern Lington had indeed occurred frequently, with queued police reports.

However, in Lington, finding missing persons or similar cases was quicker through private detectives than through the police.

Especially for the civilian class.

As a result, private detectives received more assignments to find missing persons.

Su Lun thought of the excessively justice-driven Amelia.

At this crucial moment, being a detective and a second-tier professional, it wouldn’t be strange for her to be kidnapped.

...

Su Lun sensed that the Old Cowboy had already entered the building, and there was no doubt about his investigative abilities.

His plan seemed to be to follow the girl who was kidnapped earlier and then find out where the human traffickers were sending her to.

He would then trace from there to locate the person.

However, Su Lun felt it wasn’t necessary to go through such trouble.

Although he hadn’t sensed Augustus’s presence nearby, since the human traffickers had brought the victim here, Augustus was likely hiding somewhere close.

Now Kama was in imminent danger, and there was no time to delay.

Su Lun wasn’t prepared to wait for Old Cowboy to find more clues.

Since they were here to rescue, startling the snake in the grass didn’t matter.

Making some noise might even force the hidden Poison Snake to reveal itself.

With that thought, Su Lun didn’t hesitate, looked at the third floor office, pinched a sorcerer’s seal, and stepped towards the spatial rift that appeared before him.

Another look, and he had already moved from the small building’s entrance to inside the room.

...

In the office of "Martin Firearms Company," noise filled the area.

But suddenly, the room was joined by a strange man wielding a black umbrella and a black scythe.

"Who are you..."

Seeing a stranger intrude, the expressions of these third and fourth grade gang leaders changed.

But before they could ask further, Su Lun’s black scythe slashed twice swiftly.

Wherever the scythe blade passed, it cut everything in two.

These gang leaders knew they had encountered a tough opponent, and while firing back with their guns, they desperately ran towards the office exit—some smashed through the glass, some bolted through the doors, and some hid under desks...

Su Lun paid no attention to those fleeing, his black scythe decisively aimed at the slick-suited ’Raging Bear’, Lawrence.

Under the stern and commanding presence, Lawrence’s face showed great terror, and he immediately guessed that the kidnapping incident had been exposed, causing serious trouble.

However, this guy must have had some skills to be valued by August.

Watching the black scythe come down, he agilely dodged in an instant, astonishingly avoiding the swing.

At once, he let out a wild roar, his muscles twisted, his hair grew rapidly, and he transformed into a beastly Raging Bear state in a blink.

Seeing someone daring to attack directly, Lawrence knew he had encountered tough resistance.

He didn’t plan on clashing head-on at all and decisively dashed forward. With a ’bang’, he shattered the office wall and ran without looking back.

Would Su Lun give him that chance?

He appeared to have anticipated this, single-handedly clutched, and transparent threads on the wall suddenly materialized. The beast-transformed Lawrence was suddenly like prey stuck in a spider’s web, frantically struggling to escape.

This guy’s strength was obviously much higher than the ordinary fourth-grade professionals. In his violent struggling, he even began to show signs of breaking free of the threads.

Seeing this, Su Lun’s eyes narrowed, and he swung his black scythe again with a raised hand.

But an unexpected scene happened again— a ring on his hand suddenly shattered, while simultaneously emitting a yellow light.

It was this light screen that surprisingly dissolved the spatial rift of the black scythe.

"Eh...?"

Su Lun uttered a light eh in his heart.

Clearly, this was another fine defensive cursed item, though it was disposable.

Having avoided two lethal attacks from Su Lun, Lawrence proved to be exceptional among the fourth-grade professionals.

The guy violently broke free of the threads, escaping dozens of meters in the blink of an eye.

But the next second, Su Lun ghostly appeared beside him, his spell fully condensed. He raised one hand forward, softly uttering, "Void Alchemy - Spatial Confinement!"

Space became sticky like glue, and Lawrence tried to struggle.

But would Su Lun give him another chance? The black scythe slashed down, and immediately a human fountain ensued.

A "gray mist" quickly appeared on the corpse.

After Su Lun harvested, he immediately digested the relevant information and was surprised to discover that August was actually hiding in this building!

...

At that moment, a sneaky fellow also rushed over upon hearing the news and appeared at the end of the corridor.

Seeing Su Lun, who was projecting the shadow of a second-stage Death reaper, he was greatly surprised, "Second-stage ’Death’? Did this guy also offer his soul to the gods?"

Su Lun also noticed the Old Cowboy hurrying over and glanced sideways at him.

Though he had no intention to kill,

his talent in the second-stage state carried with it a terrifying pressure, as if Death itself had descended.

Commanding respect without anger.

Worried that Su Lun might not recognize him, the Old Cowboy quickly removed his gang disguise and said timidly, "Oh, Mr. Client! It’s me, one of your own, don’t attack!"

He hadn’t expected to encounter Su Lun here.

Initially, he wanted to search for clues, but now, well, someone bolder and more skilled had directly stormed in.

Obviously, there was a more direct approach.

Seeing the abnormal manifestation of the Death reaper shadow, the Old Cowboy knew this was a powerful death-related ability.

Su Lun walked straight over, without wasting words, threw a communicator and said, "I need to find a door with an enchantment in this building. It might randomly appear in the position of any door."

This Old Cowboy was a very skilled professional detective, and having one more person to search would add more strength.

"A special door?"

The Old Cowboy was momentarily taken aback, then quickly understood, "Alright!"

No need to ask further, anyone here was certainly here for the same reason.

The two then split up, each heading down a staircase.

Having just stripped the memories from that Lawrence, Su Lun also knew that August was indeed healing in this building.

But the location was not certain.

Because August had a very special spatial curse object—"Doors of Arbitrary Spatial Dimensions" in his possession.

The guy was hiding inside it.

...

Su Lun forcibly entered the office of Martin Company, stabbing into the stronghold of a major gang.

In an instant, Parrot Street exploded into chaos, as various gang leaders started mobilizing their forces.

The first wave, several motorbikes and motorcycles swarmed from nearby streets, and the previously sparsely populated street suddenly swelled with hundreds of people. As the communicators spread the call, countless gang members continued to flood into Parrot Street.

And since this district was already an armory street, the reinforcing gang members were not short on firearms, picking up weapons and swarming into the building.

Su Lun had just walked up the staircase when he collided head-on with a group of gang members wielding various firearms.

The two sides didn’t bother with pleasantries, just a chaotic burst of gunfire.

Then a heap of bodies fell.

Having collected the guns, Su Lun continued to check the doors on every floor, trying to find an unusual "door."

Apart from his side, another staircase also erupted with the sounds of intense gunfire.

Su Lun was not worried.

The Old Cowboy might seem timid, but his actual combat strength was definitely strong.

This was far beyond what those gangs could handle.

There were many rooms within the headquarters of Martin Company including the basement warehouse, totaling a few hundred rooms.

Su Lun quickly scanned several floors but still didn’t find any door with abnormalities.

Just then, a voice suddenly came through the communicator, "I’ve found it!"

Su Lun’s expression hardened, and in an instant, he had teleported to the side of the Old Cowboy on another floor.

Seeing a living person appear out of thin air next to him, the Old Cowboy, who still had the communicator by his mouth, was slightly startled.

But thinking of the previous scene of the specter of Death, he guessed that this was the person from the newspapers.

It no longer surprised him.

As soon as Su Lun arrived, he looked at door 304 in front of him which had no anomalies, and asked, "Where?"

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The Old Cowboy pointed at the door, "Just here, but it escaped!"

As he spoke, he hastened to add, "I’ve marked the door already."

Su Lun frowned and asked, "Where is the door now?"

Hearing this, the Old Cowboy took out an ancient, copper-smelling compass from his pocket, checked it, and pointed underground, "Basement first floor, twenty meters down the left corridor!"

As he spoke, he didn’t forget to add another word of caution, "It’s a sentient door that runs at the hint of danger. When you spot it, make sure you secure it immediately."

"Hmm."

While Su Lun’s voice still echoed in the corridor, his figure had already vanished.

...

In the blink of an eye, Su Lun appeared on the first basement floor.

At a glance, there was a plain-looking door before him, but his All-knowing Eye identified it not as a "normal door" but an "Interdimensional Any-door."

Su Lun observed the energy fluctuations emerging from the door, which clearly contemplated escape.

He was well-prepared, and with a lightning-fast move, grabbed the doorknob.

The spatial fluctuations solidified, and the door, like a fox tethered by iron chains, settled down immediately.

Upon careful inspection, this door and Su Lun’s own "Stanitz’s Chessboard" had similar effects, capable of creating an independent alternate dimension.

However, this was not real space, but rather a dream-like virtual space, classified as a mysterious cursed object.

This was precisely why Su Lun hadn’t sensed it with his spatial senses earlier because this door was of the mysterious type and not the spatial type, and it was of no low tier.

Moreover, the door itself possessed a degree of sentience, sensing the intentions of those who touched it and then preparing to flee or not.

It was indeed very safe for Augustus to heal inside of it.

If Su Lun hadn’t understood the Space Law, and seized it,

ordinary people wouldn’t have noticed anything amiss, and even if they had, upon opening it, they would find it just a ordinary door.

Seeing this cursed object, Su Lun couldn’t help but feel moved.

The Rodriguez family, with its centuries of accumulation, indeed possessed quite a few special treasures.

Su Lun grew even more cautious in his heart.

That old monster had probably more in hand than just the "Lilith’s Vampire Ring."

...

This door was very special, not only hard to locate, but once entered, one would find themselves in a world constructed by mysterious forces, which could also trap those who ventured inside.

However, for Su Lun, this was a minor issue.

Instead, he was concerned about what condition Augustus was in inside.

Such a creature, even if gravely wounded, would definitely not place itself in danger.

His daring to heal here meant that he must have had some assurance of survival should he be discovered.

Su Lun didn’t hesitate; after leaving his spatial coordinates on the doorknob, he turned the handle.

Upon opening the door, he was greeted by an expanse of void.

Su Lun stepped right in.

The scenery shifted around him from the hallway into something resembling... the interior of a biological organism.

A heavy stench of blood assaulted his nostrils.

It was a foul smell of blood.

Although Su Lun was not gifted with olfactory talent, his ability to discriminate scents was quite strong. He recognized the repulsive odor immediately; it was a mixture of several hundred types of human blood.

Moreover, the resentment was profound.

The space was dimly lit, the walls around were dark red, and even pulsed as if with a heartbeat. On closer inspection, the walls were covered with thick blood vessels, and the space was hung with some crimson flesh tissues.

It was a flesh space.

Su Lun was not surprised.

He had witnessed a similar scene before in the "Legend of the Bell Tower Monster," knowing this was a manifestation of human body mutations merging with the space.

Upon entering, he knew, Augustus’s condition was worse than he had imagined.

His pupils dilated, taking in the entire space at a glance.

As expected, the identity revealed was not human but "The Mutating Gluttonous Tyrant - Augustus."

...

"It really has mutated..."

Su Lun observed, his brows slightly furrowed, tightening his grip on the rune-inscribed black umbrella.

He didn’t concern himself with what Augustus had turned into; upon entering, he felt over a hundred soul fluctuations.

Some spirits were very faint, on the verge of dispersing, others showing signs of turning into resentful spirits.

This meant there were both living people and those who had just died.

Su Lun carefully distinguished among these soul fluctuations and his pupils narrowed immediately, "Kama realmente is here after all!"

His heart surged with elation.

Once locked onto the perception,

Su Lun also found that Kama’s soul fluctuation was still very clear,

Not appearing to have already died,

but still displaying faint signs of life!

Moreover, not just Kama, he also discovered that within that group, the soul fluctuation of Amelia was also precisely here!

"Good, they’re not dead!"

Su Lun felt a wave of relief.

Since he was here to rescue people, he didn’t hesitate, teleporting hundreds of meters and appearing in a corner of this world of flesh.

Looking around, he saw a mass of scarlet tissue resembling embryonic tumors, hung in mid-air by robust blood vessels.

Upon closer inspection, each of the hundreds of flesh tumors contained a young, naked girl. Like a blood transfusion bag, the flesh surrounding them was extracting blood from their bodies to supply the entire space.

The naked girls curled up in the transparent fluid looked peaceful, as if they were asleep.

But when Su Lun sensed their presence, he found that the souls of the vast majority were gone, leaving only pale husks behind.

They had clearly been dead for some time.

"Augustus, this old monster, sucked dry hundreds of people in one night..."

Su Lun’s eyes narrowed slightly.

At the same time, his camera, which he carried with him, went crazy snapping photos, capturing every scene.

The silver lining, however, was that Karma, perhaps because she was brought in too late, hadn’t yet been drained of her blood and still showed slight signs of life.

Su Lun quickly swung his black scythe, "swish, swish, swish," severing the blood bags of Karma and twenty or thirty other girls who were still barely alive.

The "splash" of transparent viscous fluid flowed everywhere, and dozens of unconscious girls fell to the ground.

Some of them were still somewhat conscious, and others were awakened by the fall. But because of the excessive blood loss, they could only look up with pale, helpless eyes at Su Lun, who had come to their rescue.

The very moment Su Lun severed the flesh tumors, the bloody space seemed to come alive. Blood vessels on the floor and ceiling, like leeches extending their necks, grouped together and reached out as if they wanted to reconnect and continue sucking the girls’ blood.

Su Lun’s scalp tingled slightly.

It was then that he sensed a soul fluctuation not far behind him.

Turning around sharply, he saw a lump of wriggling red flesh bulge from the bloody floor, which rapidly morphed into a human form.

Looking at the handsome features, who could it be if not Augustus?!

...

The intruder in his strange space clearly surprised him too, and as he looked at Su Lun, he asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"

He knew well that healing his wounds required a large number of girls; capturing so many, he couldn’t keep it hidden.

But to be found so quickly, that still surprised him.

A gloomy look filled Augustus’s eyes as he watched Su Lun sever his numerous sources of blood, but he did not interfere.

Because as long as they were in this space, they were meat already swallowed into his stomach.

He didn’t feel even slightly threatened by this intruder.

Because in this space, no one could leave alive.

Even a seventh-tier professional would die!

And the person in front of him was clearly not of the seventh tier.

...

Though Su Lun had seen Augustus a few times, this guy clearly didn’t recognize him.

Hearing the question, he didn’t bother with courtesy; as soon as they met, he swung his black scythe in an attack.

Augustus noticed the black scythe and his eyes narrowed slightly, but he did not attempt to dodge; instead, a mocking smile crept over his lips.

A "swish" of the blade, and a spatial fissure bisected his body.

Immediately, a cold laugh of "ske ske ske" filled the air.

Upon looking again, the bisected Augustus was visibly regrowing a new body.

Su Lun’s eyes grew sharp, and he discerned some trick at play: "Can’t kill him in this space?"

At that moment, his peripheral vision caught sight of Karma and the group of girls on the ground, already beginning to be drained of blood again.

Su Lun did not hesitate; he raised his hand and swung two more cuts, chopping Augustus into several pieces again.

It was just like the scene that had just occurred a moment ago.

Augustus once again coalesced from the blood-meat walls, his mouth spilling contemptuous cold laughter, and he incessantly asked: "Who are you, exactly? How did you get here? Speak up, and maybe I’ll let you leave with your life."

He recognized that the black scythe was no ordinary enchanted item, it looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.

Like a cat eyeing the fish in a bowl, this old monster from the Rodriguez family didn’t rush to act but instead aimed to extract some useful information from Su Lun’s mouth.

His intuition told him the situation was a major issue.

Attacked last night, and today someone shows up? Just when his injuries would’ve healed in a couple more days, somebody comes now?

And with his mob outside, the fact that this person got in meant that his situation had been exposed.

How did this guy find his way here?

What did he know?

Augustus felt he needed to clear these questions up, or else he might face serious problems.

But the response he received were just more spatial fissures from the black scythe.

...

"Swish," "swish," "swish"!

The flesh-and-blood body was again chopped into pieces.

Augustus’s body was chopped up for the third time and finally couldn’t regenerate. He had to grow a new body from the flesh walls again.

Seeing the futility of the stranger’s efforts, he still tried to persuade, "Useless. Here, you can’t escape, you can’t kill me. If you came to rescue someone, tell me who it is. If you answer my questions, I might let you all leave…"

"..."

Su Lun didn’t believe his lies.

Having stumbled upon this old monster’s secret, he must have murderous intentions.

Let him go?

Heh.

Did he really think no one knew he was an old monster?

Being calculated by enemies to this extent, he was still naively hopeful.

Besides, Su Lun could leave this place on his own and save everyone without anyone letting them.

The few probing slashes he had made were to buy time and figure out how to kill this old monster.

Now was his chance!

Su Lun suddenly made a grasping motion in the air, and with a fierce tug at the threads on his fingers,

the dozens of trapped girls in the flesh orbs were jerked forward, pulling the blood-drinking vessels taut. At that moment, sharp threads swept across, once more severing the connection between the tumors and the space.

This time, Su Lun didn’t place the severed tumors on the ground but instead swiftly formed a sorcerer’s seal with one hand, quickly creating a vortex black hole in his palm.

With a pull of the threads, dozens of girls were stuffed into the small void world.

There, Dr. Banks’ medical team was ready, and the girls, suffering from significant blood loss, could receive immediate medical attention.

Having done this, Su Lun finally took a deep breath of relief.

Karma was finally saved!