Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun had successfully created a zombie.

But he had another idea, which was whether he could inject himself with one.

Su Lun carefully flipped through the "Zombie Research Diary" and found some experiment records of living people being injected with "X Serum," which made him hesitant.

Even with a "Mutational Suppressant," the success rate of integrating the serum was only eighty percent.

The remaining twenty percent meant either an unknown directional mutation, deformation, or even direct explosion and death.

Moreover, the side effect of skin turning blue for a long time was also a major problem.

He wasn't concerned about his image; after all, he could accept a smoked style with no eyebrows and Baldy, it seemed that blue skin couldn't be uglier.

But ordinary people didn't know what seeing the skin meant, while those with keen eyes could tell at a glance that this was a side effect of the "X Potion." Once discovered by the people of Inner City, it would definitely cause major trouble.

He also didn't know how long this blue skin would last and didn't dare to try recklessly.

Anyway, there seemed to be no reason that forced him to risk using the serum now, so Su Lun planned to wait and see if there might be other ways to increase the success rate.

.....

Su Lun spent every day in the basement, tinkering with zombies, Puppet Masters, machinery, exercising physically, and studying alchemy...

He felt very busy, as if multitasking with eight spider limbs was not enough.

That was nearly a month, during which he only went out once to attend a small gathering of high-level professionals at the black market and barely left the house otherwise.

He also casually gathered information from various sources; it seemed that the follow-up investigation into the robbery he and Kai had pulled off was not making much noise.

After all, the lab had exploded; who still cared about a bunch of lost supplies?

Just like that, Su Lun managed to sell off some of the loot he had intercepted and converted it into some hard currency in hand.

However, the richer he became, the more worries he had.

Su Lun now wanted to purchase the "Spiritual Power Secret Technique" and the [Curse Hair of the Wailing Witch], and now added a second-tier advancement material that could awaken Spatial Ability.

According to Mr. Hei, the first two might still be purchasable. After all, many people didn't recognize the value of the Spiritual Power Secret Technique and couldn't use it; it was possible to find a good deal. As for the hair, almost only Puppet Masters could use it, and it could be bought at a reasonable price.

As for the cursed material that could awaken Spatial Ability, it was almost impossible.

Such rare advancement material essential for awakening "Spatial Ability" was in such high demand that not even the storerooms of the major financial clans of Inner City had stocks.

Not to mention whether a scavenging team that found it would consume it internally.

Even if it were sold, the wealthy financial clans of Inner City were the best buyers.

Su Lun felt that if he really wanted it, he might just have to try his luck scavenging.

The black market indeed had increasingly more to offer.

As the excavation of the "Dawn City Ruins" deepened, more and more people were joining the excursions beyond the city.

Of course, the casualty rate remained high, and many small scavenging teams didn't even see the ruins before being completely wiped out on their way there.

But the rewards were astounding.

From the messages sent back, it was clear that the ruins were not an empty city but seemed to have been destroyed by some terrifying disaster.

The city retained a large amount of ancient artifacts, and too many S-grade and T-grade cursed spaces appeared.

Hearing all this, Su Lun was not in a hurry.

After all, Mr. Hei had assessed that without a massive sacrifice of lives, it would take eight to ten years to fully exploit the ruins.

But because the potential rewards were so enticing, the major financial families of the city were also organizing scavenging teams and squads of daredevils to go underground.

The city's three major gangs were also stirred by the news, with multiple scouting scavenging teams from the Cross Society having ventured out of the city to scout ahead.

Upon hearing the news, Su Lun also had some ideas.

He now had a zombie capable of wielding a scythe and had some capacity to defend himself. If the opportunity arose, he planned to go and see for himself.

.....

Being gang members, it was inevitable for Su Lun and Kai, two lone wolves from Green Street, to get to work.

Others might forget these two, who hadn't shown their faces for months, but Phino was well aware of their core abilities.

One day, Su Lun exceptionally went out, rode his motorcycle to "Big Beard's Mechanical Repair Shop," and was waiting there. He chatted with the owner Lait, exchanging some mechanical repair experiences. At six thirty, Kai arrived right on time on his bike.

Kai called out, "Let's go."

Su Lun followed him, "Captain, why did you call me out here?"

Kai said, "The new place on Norton Street is opening tonight, and Phino asked us to make a show. It sounds like we might be following her lead from now on..."

"Oh."-

Upon hearing this, Su Lun revealed a look of realization.

Previously Green Street had been destroyed, and the Cross Society had been planning to recreate an entertainment street.

It just so happened that the recent strife in the inner city seemed to have subsided.

Lady Phino had stood unwavering through the turmoil, and the internal expansion of the Cross Society was beginning again.

There had been talk of setting up a new entertainment district for a while now, and I couldn't believe it was already built.

And that new street, it's right in the Norton Street area under Qian's jurisdiction.

....

They had plenty of time, so the two rode their motorcycles at a leisurely pace.

Kai was thrilled, riding his motorcycle like a victorious rooster, chest puffed out and head held high. He teased with a wink, "Brother Su Lun, haven't you noticed any changes in me?"

Su Lun glanced at him and naturally noticed something.

It had been half a month since he'd last seen the guy.

Kai's physique had obviously bulked up, stretching his leather jacket taut. Squeezing the arm holding the handlebars, his muscles rippled powerfully under the skin, as though worms of flesh were rolling beneath it, creating a visually striking impact.

Seeing Kai's deliberately showy flexing, Su Lun pretended not to notice and played along by asking, "Ah... what's up?"

Releasing one hand from the motorcycle, Kai flaunted his huge biceps, "Look at this, what's this?"

Su Lun couldn't help but laugh.

He felt he should be astonished, but he just couldn't muster it and simply uttered, "Oh."

"Oh?"

Kai rolled his eyes, realizing he had chosen the wrong person to show off to and felt rather deflated.

But he knew Su Lun's nature; even getting an "Oh" from him was quite something.

Though his display fell flat, it didn't dampen Kai's spirits as he excitedly said, "Brother, the body-enhancing potion you found for me in the black market last time is simply divine! My training this past month feels like it covers a year's worth of progress. I feel fantastic now!"

"Oh, that's good if it helps," Su Lun replied with a slight smile.

He, of course, knew all about that potion.
Continue reading on empire

The [PTX Fury Amplifier] and [Lester VI Generation Blood Cell Enhancer] — he himself was using them.

He had bought so many second-hand devices for Danny; making money was secondary as he first needed to assure his own supply of potions.

Now the initial investment had started to pay off, and these two body-enhancing potions were his top priority in production.

Last time, using the excuse of splitting looted money, he casually handed a few to Kai.

"Brother, all else aside, this potion really saved me big time!"

Kai exclaimed excitedly, "Had it not been for striking it rich together with you last time, I wouldn't have been able to afford such expensive potions."

He knew very well that without Su Lun, it would have been impossible to intercept that shipment.

Pausing, a hopeful gleam appeared in Kai's eyes as he added sentimentally, "With such great body-enhancing potions, for the first time, I see the hope of advancing to a Tier 2 professional in my lifetime..."

"..."

Listening, Su Lun smiled.

People like Kai, who were spirited and brave, always worked hard.

But in reality, his strength seemed average among professionals.

The most critical difference, in fact, lay in the disparity of resources.

Be it breathing techniques, alchemical enhancements, or various martial skills, they were lacking.

For close-combat professionals without enough high-quality supplements, training efficiency was low, and they would accumulate hidden injuries. It might seem fine for a short time, but over the long haul, it could result in chronic illnesses affecting their whole life.

This is why it's difficult for out-city individuals to advance to professional levels, and even more challenging for professionals to promote to Tier 2.

After all, the need for body-enhancing potions is ongoing.

Like the two types of potions Kai uses now, costing nearly 500,000 each, not only are they "regulated potions" inaccessible in inner cities, but even if available, he couldn't afford them.

Speaking of which, Kai continued, "Once I hit a bottleneck, I plan to apply to join the guild's scavenger team to go outside the city for a hunt. Train a bit, and who knows, I might even make a big score.""

He paused, then added in a secretive tone, "Hey, did you hear? They've discovered a large ancient ruin underground, seems quite formidable.""

Su Lun knew he was probably talking about the Dawn City Ruins, but the information for the lower tier members was indeed very delayed.

He casually mentioned, "Isn't that ruin said to be very dangerous?"

"Dangerous or not, I'm going!"

Kai wore a carefree expression, unabashed admiration evident as he recounted the legendary stories he'd heard within the guild, "Back in the day, Boss Angel got really strong by encountering danger while scavenging outside the city, turning misfortune into a blessing, enabling him to merge with the Silver Enhancement [Thousand Killing Wings]…"

But then he suddenly stopped talking.

Kai suddenly remembered something, looked over at Su Lun who was riding next to him, and made an uninterested pout.

The other guild members got pumped up hearing Boss Angel's stories, but he knew Su Lun definitely wouldn't.

Because he was sure Su Lun's enhancements were far beyond just silver!

But having thought about it, he still never asked.

Seeing that he wasn't continuing, Su Lun also smiled, "There'll be time for that later."