Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun's thoughts drifted for a moment before returning to reality.

Kai was still muttering on the side, seeming quite puzzled, "Strange, could it be that my storage ring is too old and has collapsed?"

If Su Lun didn't have the All-knowing Eye, he probably would be just as baffled right now.

But now he could guess that the storage ring might have collapsed because the potion's origin was identified as an unrecognized "****" creature.

Inferior spaces cannot store items that are too high on a magical or law-based level.

That "****" might represent some sort of indescribable high-entity creature.

Su Lun even speculated that the real main cargo the shipper wanted to transport was these potions, with everything else just as additional items.

These potions couldn't be placed in the storage space and could only be transported by a transport team.

The cargo must not be exposed, and even less the destination, the Steam Faction, a local snake in the west city, was the best partner for this!

....

Su Lun rummaged through the other boxes and found more.

Besides these five doses of [X Serum Original Liquid], another large box nearby contained a hundred doses of [Second Generation X Serum], which are also 100% likely to cause mutations but with only one-tenth the effect.

There was also a note left in the box, which read: "From Doctor Victor personally."

Su Lun glanced at the content, which basically said that someone called "Number 19" had still not been caught, the items had not been retrieved, there was not much original serum left in stock, and asked the doctor to use it carefully.

For some reason, upon seeing this "Number 19," the image of that woman with a bounty of three million immediately came to Su Lun's mind.

She was involved with the "X Serum Project," had escaped from the inner city lab, and hadn't been caught yet, almost perfectly fitting the condition written on the note.

It seemed that the item she stole from the lab was the key to making the serum?

However, clearly now wasn't the time to ponder this issue.

Su Lun felt that this robbery was becoming more unpredictable than expected.

If not handled well, it would definitely lead to big trouble.

And these potions were too special.

They couldn't be put into the storage ring; they had to be carried on his back.

Su Lun was also worried that there might be some tracking markers left on the boxes. Thinking it over, he took all the potions out, and after spraying them with [Scent Neutralizing Potion] and [Interference Powder], he finally put the more than a hundred potions into the potion bags he had prepared in advance.

Kai, watching him be so cautious, asked, "Su Lun, do you recognize this potion? Do you really need to be this careful..."

Without going into detail, Su Lun replied, "I have a rough idea of what this potion is. It might attract a lot of trouble; it's better to be cautious."

But Kai didn't seem very interested in the potion and just casually asked, "Do you also understand potions?"

Su Lun: "Somewhat..."

"..."

Kai rolled his eyes, as if he had gotten used to this guy knowing everything.

He didn't ask any more and continued to search through other items.

...

While Su Lun was still tinkering with that batch of potions, Kai opened the last few boxes and found something, exclaiming softly, "Su Lun, come take a look, what is this!"

Glancing over, Su Lun saw that in the last box, there was unexpectedly a set of incomprehensible machinery.

Kai took out a section of a shining metal arm and examined it, uncertain, "Is this... a mechanical skeleton? No, it seems like a mechanical limb?"

Su Lun was also quite surprised.

In this world, there was only a Physical Control system, so the core of controlling all machinery was actually humans.

Whether it's a mechanical skeleton or any sort of armor, its essence is a mechanical shell for humans to wear.

But this set of machinery marked with [PX-911 Mechanical Limb] was very strange.

It wasn't an external addition but appeared to be an actual mechanical limb, with arms, legs, and an energy conversion boiler for the chest cavity. Yet it was missing some connecting parts. To fully assemble a robot, it still lacked some linkage devices, and a head...?

Su Lun's knowledge of machinery was already not bad; even if he didn't understand the principle, he knew the probable origins.

But looking at this set of mechanical limbs, he was completely baffled.
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How does one operate these?

Not being external, could they be meant to directly replace human bones?

But how could nerves directly control machinery? Was this some kind of specialized alchemical augmentation machinery part?

In an instant, numerous questions popped into Su Lun's mind.

And at that moment, Kai, holding the mechanical arm, inadvertently triggered some mechanism. With a "click," a sharp blade suddenly sprung out from the palm of the hand.

Kai jumped in shock, his grip loosening, and the arm fell down.

Then, the sharp blade easily cut a smooth gash into the edge of the metal box that contained it.

Kai looked on in disbelief, "This... this dagger is so sharp?"

Su Lun squinted at the dagger for a moment, and the identification revealed the metal it was made from was "Armand Metal," a type of extremely rare natural metal described in the Black Tower Academy textbooks as used by people in ancient times to forge Divine Artifacts, known for its superlative hardness and magical conductivity...

Seeing this, his interest intensified, and he picked up another mechanical arm to observe.

The arm felt smooth to the touch, yet there were no visible seams where the dagger could have been inserted.

"Eh..."

At this sight, Su Lun let out a soft exclamation.

It wasn't just the sharpness, but the precision and seamless integration of this set of mechanical arms that truly astonished him.

This was authentic "laboratory-level" technology!

Let alone the outer city, even the military enterprises in the inner city probably couldn't produce this level of precise manufacturing right now.

Just this section of mechanical limb alone was several tiers above in technological content compared to the "Frost Giant Combat Armor" they had seen before!

Upon encountering a mechanical structure he didn't understand, a desire surged within Su Lun to disassemble it and comprehend its construction and principles.

But now was clearly not the time for detailed examination, and he said to Kai, "Let's pack everything up, we don't have much time. I'll cover our tracks."

"Okay."

Kai didn't dare delay either, and the two of them packed up all the items.

....

Kai rode over on the hidden motorcycles, then stuffed the "worn canvas bags" full on both bikes.

Now that Su Lun knew the goods were not the "second-hand mechanical equipment" he had originally envisioned, he had to be even more cautious.

He had thought they were robbing a Steam Gang, but now it seemed they had hit an inner city secret laboratory's supplies!

Su Lun meticulously erased any traces they had left at the scene, including those from their two-day ambush. He then set up incendiary bombs near the truck...

After everything was done, the two of them mounted their motorcycles and sought a small path to leave the heist site.

Not long after they left, the truck exploded into flames, and any evidence was submerged in fire.

As they were carrying heavy items, the two did not ride quickly.

Kai was still reveling in the immense surprise of their haul; as they rode, he asked, "Hey, brother Su Lun, how much do you reckon we can sell this loot for? A hundred million at least, right?"

"More than that."

Su Lun shook his head.

Five sets of "Frost Giant Combat Armor" alone were worth 75 million, not to mention the other high-grade firearms, ammunition, and research equipment.

Especially the "X Serum" and the "PX-911 Artificial Mechanical Limbs"—those two items were the real priceless treasures.

Hearing this, Kai's smile grew even brighter. He had come from the slums and had never seen so much money before: "Heh, this time we sell it, and we'll be rich overnight for sure! I know a few reliable black market dealers, with goods this good, we're sure to get a great price..."

It wasn't that Kai was careless, but he was unaware of the true value of this haul and what it entailed.

If these were ordinary "second-hand mechanical equipment," once sold, it wouldn't matter who the owner was—there would be plenty willing to buy in the black market.

But he didn't know among the items was the inner city's top-secret "X Potion."

Selling this batch carelessly would definitely cause problems.

Su Lun solemnly negated his idea, saying, "No. We can't let these items enter the market any time soon, or we will run into serious trouble."

He felt that if he were the owner of the stolen goods, the first thing he would do is go to places that deal in stolen merchandise.

The black markets of the outer city would certainly be under close watch.

Mr. Hei had told him that the black markets had spies from umbrella organizations, and if they really went to sell the goods, they might end up 'delivering themselves to the doorstep.'

Kai, not understanding, asked, "Why not?"

Su Lun did not go into detail but simply said, "There are some very sensitive items in this batch that absolutely can't be sold through ordinary channels."

After a pause, he added, "Nobody can know about us robbing the Steam Gang's transport team. If it leaks out, it will be huge trouble for anyone involved."

"Okay."

Kai frowned; although he did not understand the origins of the combat armor and mechanical limbs, he had realized the gravity of the situation.

While he didn't comprehend what those items were about, he chose to trust Su Lun's words.

With enough trust between the two of them, he didn't ask further, simply querying, "So, what do we do with this batch? Hide it for now?"

"Yeah."

That was exactly what Su Lun had in mind, and he supplemented, "I have a safe channel for selling the goods, but I need to observe the situation for a while. We can't necessarily move the goods right away."

Ordinary merchants definitely wouldn't do, but he could trust Mr. Hei.

That defector being pursued by the umbrella organization surely had no connection with the owner of these goods.

The only concern for Su Lun was how to sell the batch in portions without arousing suspicion that they were the ones who had intercepted it.

After hearing Su Lun's explanation, Kai nodded in agreement: "Okay."