Mechanical Alchemist

After the last major battle between the Steam Faction and the Cross Society, both gangs had suffered severely.

Su Lun had also heard some news in the high-ranking professional circle of the black market, saying that Lady Fino, the financial backer behind the Cross Society, had been having a hard time lately, which had caused the entire Cross Society's internal economic situation to be quite poor.

Although the Cross Society seemed no different from the past and still dominated the southern city as a top-tier gang, Su Lun noticed some signs; the higher-ups had become much quieter, and the most obvious sign was that the gang's expansion had almost come to a halt.

The treatment of the veterans remained unchanged, but the recruitment of new members had plummeted.

Kai, the team leader with only one member, had been a lone commander this whole time.

As a result, this idler thought about provoking the Steam Faction all day long.

....

The night was dark and windy.

On an abandoned, secluded overpass in the west district, two armed, masked figures lay in wait.

Su Lun manned the sniper rifle, aiming at the end of the highway in the distance.

Kai, with a straw in his mouth, also held binoculars, watching.

Initially, Su Lun was actually against Kai's idea of "hitting a big score."

He wanted to develop quietly; he needed a lot of time to assimilate all the knowledge he had on hand;

But the reality was, his savings in his pocket were dwindling, forcing him to figure out ways to earn money.

Su Lun was now in a significant financial deficit; most of the bonus and spoils from the last gang fight had been spent.

Whether it was his mechanical research, crafting of Puppet Dolls, or potion production with Danny, they all were money pits.

The higher-grade the materials, the more money they burn.

Supply materials and potions are made?

That's something only a layman would say.

Low-grade potions are trivial, but high-grade potions are difficult.

Just the precision instruments needed for potion production are varied and complicated... The higher the potion you want to refine, the more demanding the equipment requirements. Even second-hand goods from the black market aren't cheap. They cost tens to hundreds of thousands and come with hefty maintenance fees...

To ensure a high success rate and a low-impurity potion, a sterile laboratory is also needed.

Danny said that according to the standards of the inner city laboratories, an ordinary standard lab costs hundreds of millions. Not to mention those specialized devices for research...

The small workshop approach to potion making has extremely low yield; making a few potions is a gamble on luck. But if Su Lun wanted to use this as a long-term money-making route, some investments were necessary.

In the end, setting up a low-end potion laboratory also cost him several million.

Then there were the attempts at high-end Puppet Dolls; a single failure meant wasting tens to hundreds of thousands in materials... These expenditures were essential for growth.

There's also the series of mechanical research like the "Iron Man Mark II"...

Su Lun calculated that he still needed to save a large sum of money to purchase items that Scavengers brought back from ruins, which he needed.

Spiritual power Secret Techniques, "Wailing Witch's Curse Hair," or perhaps suitable materials for advancing to the second tier of curses... These were the real big-ticket expenses.

He didn't want to miss out on them just because he was out of money.

A man isn't rich without windfalls, even more so in this cruel otherworld.

If he wanted money, there was no faster way than robbing a rival gang.

....

Kai excitedly said, "Hehe... I've always heard that the Steam Faction has channels for mechanical equipment from the inner city, and this time I've really caught onto it. This time, I heard they are transporting a batch of 'military-grade mechanical equipment' that the city guard had just replaced. There's a good amount, I estimate, worth at least tens of millions, maybe even a hundred million..."

The financial backer behind the Steam Faction has channels to acquire controlled mechanical equipment from the inner city; this was no secret.

Otherwise, mere black market Mechanic upstarts couldn't support the prosthetic modification and development business of such a large gang, let alone the truly high-end mechanical prosthetics of the Steam Faction's elite forces.

"Captain, you've said that for the eighth time..."

Su Lun said with a teasing smile.

Hearing this, he had high hopes at first.

If what Kai said was true, and the goods were worth a hundred million, it really would have been worth the heist.

But they had been staking out here for almost two days and two nights, without seeing a single soul.

Kai only knew that the Steam Faction's convoy would take this route, but beyond that, the intel was very limited. Transport time, quantity of cargo, personnel arrangements... all were "speculation."

But it was precisely because of this uncertainty in intelligence that the two had patiently waited for so long.

As members of a gang themselves, they knew the higher the secrecy, the more valuable the cargo carried.

"I'm telling you, Captain, there could be something wrong with your intel. This route is so remote, and it leads to the desolate park beyond. Even if it's mechanical equipment, it should be sent to the various strongholds of the Steam Faction, not to this wilderness... It doesn't seem reliable..."

Su Lun wasn't lacking the patience to wait; his words were just in jest.

The road was overgrown with wild grass, which didn't seem like any proper transportation route.

However, apart from the route being somewhat secluded, everything else did fit the scenario of a secret transport.

Kai was a bit bored, but wore an indifferent expression, "Who cares, we're free anyway~ Let's wait here, if they really come, we can make a profit; if they don't, we lose nothing."

Su Lun chuckled, "Heh, you already think we can definitely get our hands on it without even knowing the enemy's escort strength?"

Kai responded nonchalantly, "Typical escort includes a captain-level combatant and about eight to ten nonprofessionals. With your sharpshooting skills and me... the two of us are more than enough to turn them upside down."

"Heh..."

Su Lun chuckled ambiguously, without committing to a stance.

And just as they spoke, he spotted something through the sniper scope and exclaimed, "They're coming!"

After carefully observing, he added, "Three vehicles in total! One truck, two jeeps... including drivers and escorts, I see twelve people!"

This was a pretty standard escort configuration.

"Holy shit, they're really here!"

Kai was delighted.

He saw the faces of those in the vehicles through the high-powered telescope and shared the intel he had, "The escort captain is 'Savage' Buck Bista, a veteran professional of the Steam Faction with the talent 'D-003-Bloodlust'. He can block out pain and enhance his strength when going berserk, and his prosthetic arm is fitted with a honeycomb firearm... Are you confident?"

"No problem," Su Lun replied with narrowed eyes and a nod.

He remembered this person; indeed, he was quite strong.

But as long as it was a first-order mechanical warrior, he didn't see them as much of a threat.

Still, Su Lun wasn't careless, sweeping his gaze over the other eleven people in the vehicle.

The majority looked familiar, and having 'Savage' Buck sitting in the front passenger seat of the lead car meant there probably wasn't anyone of higher rank in the convoy.

Once they confirmed that the enemy transport forces consisted only of a standard twelve-man elite squad, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

As the convoy slowly approached, Kai licked his lips, "Hehe, then Brother Su Lun, you stay put to snipe, and I'll move to the ambush point."

Su Lun nodded, "Alright, be careful. Stick to the plan, and if anything unexpected happens, retreat immediately."

"Got it."

Kai undid his disguise and stealthily set off.

....

Su Lun and Kai had already planted anti-tank mines in advance for the ambush.

Just as the convoy entered the ambush zone, the leading jeep drove over a land mine, and with a "boom", it instantly became a ball of flames, blown ten or so meters into the air.

When the transport team was attacked, they showed no signs of wanting to fight and immediately tried to turn around to flee.

But on the ground behind them, there were mechanical mines modified by Su Lun. The moment they turned around, they hadn't gone far before they triggered a mine that detonated when driven over in reverse, toppling another steam-powered jeep.

Su Lun wasn't idle either; he aimed his sniper rifle's scope at the truck driver, waiting for the right moment to pull the trigger.

But unexpectedly, the alchemical bullet didn't penetrate the glass!

"Bulletproof glass?"

Su Lun frowned at this development, suddenly sensing something was odd.

A windshield that big, capable of stopping an alchemical bullet, didn't come cheap; the retrofitting cost would be equivalent to the price of a standard truck.

At the very least, it definitely wasn't something a rust-streaked escort truck would normally be equipped with!

He immediately communicated the abnormal finding to Kai through the communicator, "Captain, the truck has bulletproof glass, be careful."

"Roger that!"

With both lead and trailing vehicles taken out, and the robbery seeming assured, Kai wasn't about to give up.

He watched the truck try to escape, deftly jumping from the roadside underneath it, only to find the underside also fortified with a blast shield, with no handholds available.

"Good thing I was prepared..."

Kai muttered to himself, took out a suction cup to attach himself under the truck, and then installed one of Su Lun's modified magnetic alchemical bombs onto the pipeline.

After activating the detonator, he rolled out from under the truck as it frantically tried to speed away, but suddenly there was a loud "boom".

Although the vehicle wasn't flipped over, the alchemical bomb blew through the bottom blast shield right into the power conduit, completely immobilizing the truck.