Mechanical Alchemist

Back on Green Street, Su Lun began his regular night routine.

At seven o'clock in the evening, members of the Cross Society gang gathered on time in the rundown building.

Then there was a half-hour patrol.

After finishing up, Su Lun, as usual, went to the Crimson Fortress's gladiatorial arena.

As expected, he would spend the whole night here.

Lately, nobody knew what changes had taken place in the inner city, but there were more death matches among the arena fighters.

Rumors had it that several big financial corporations in the inner city were locked in fierce internal struggles over conflicts of interest. Those sent to the arena were mostly cream of the crop in their professions, bodyguards, retainers, or people of various special identities – in short, all had complicated backgrounds.

However, the inner city's turmoil had little to do with Su Lun, a small-time gangster.

He actually felt that the worse the chaos, the better.

After all, these career fighters from the inner city indeed had much deeper "foundations" than those from the outer city. Lately, Su Lun had gleaned plenty of alchemy and mechanical knowledge from the corpses in the arena, something the outer city's fighters, who could only extract combat skills, couldn't possibly match up to.

Today, the arena was bustling as ever.

But before Su Lun could bet on a few fights, Captain Kai came looking for him with a mysterious air about him.

He said he was going to take him to meet a Big Shot.

....

"Captain, who exactly are we going to meet that you're making it so mysterious?"

Su Lun felt it was a pity to be dragged away halfway, especially since there was another fighter's death match tonight.

Missing out meant losing a lot of experience.

"Hehe, of course, it's a good thing!"

Kai, with his arm around Su Lun's shoulder, winked and said, "You can make a lot of money, contribute to the gang, and have the chance to meet influential figures from the inner city. Let me tell you, if things go well, the benefits will be unimaginable."

"Ah... so what is it, exactly?"

Seeing Kai's excited expression, Su Lun grew even more puzzled.

Getting to know influential figures from the inner city?

For others, that might be a rare opportunity, but for Su Lun, it didn't necessarily mean anything good.

With his original identity being so sensitive, he didn't want to interact with the Big Shots of the inner city for the time being, afraid of running into acquaintances.

By that time, Kai glanced at Su Lun's extravagant smoky makeup and frowned, saying, "Hey, brother, your outfit is getting weirder and weirder. The heavy metal style is cool, but I think it suits you the least..."

He paused, seeming to have thought of something, and muttered, "I just don't know if that style might affect the first impression with that Big Shot..."

A thought crossed Su Lun's mind: "I hope they don't like it."

He understood now; it seemed that some Big Shot from the inner city had come, wanting to "interview" him. Then, he could see if he was suitable for whatever the conditions were...

Money to be made, and the chance to meet Big Shots?

Could it be for selecting gigolos?

This random thought popped into Su Lun's mind, some annoyance kicking in.

After all, he was still a member of the Cross Society gang, and he couldn't refuse the captain's task, so he followed him out.

He thought to himself, surely Captain Kai couldn't be that unreliable.

....

Walking along, Su Lun felt uneasy. He surreptitiously inserted a set of steel dentures into his mouth, making his facial features even stranger. This was also a mainstream Dark Punk look, so it wasn't out of place.

The two of them wove through the crowd, then exited the betting stands, arriving at the guarded back door dedicated to VIP rooms on the second floor.

This was the private passage leading to the VIP rooms on the second floor of the betting stand.

But getting there, Kai didn't proceed, he said, "Su Lun, go up by yourself, Sister Qiāntiáo is up there too."

Su Lun was mildly puzzled, "Aren't you going?"

Kai rolled his eyes with a slightly aggrieved look, "I just went, and that Big Shot didn't seem to think much of me..."

"..."

Hearing this, Su Lun realized what was going on.

Yet, he was also surprised—Kai, strong among the Cross Society's rank-one professionals and of good character, had not been accepted?

Even if it was a gigolo selection, Kai looked much better than the current punk-style himself, didn't he?

What exactly was this "Big Shot" looking for?

At that moment, Kai, seeing the doubtful look on Su Lun's face, finally spilled some truth, saying, "I was thinking of leaving you a surprise."

After a pause, he continued, "It's no big deal. That Big Shot wants to find someone who has been to the tenement dungeons to guide. Since only the two of us lived through it, well..."

So, he wasn't chosen and thus had called for Su Lun.

"The tenement dungeons? As a guide?"

Hearing this, Su Lun was even more puzzled. Would these Big Shots from the inner city, who despised even coming to the outer city because it was dirty, venture into dungeons, places full of stench and lurking dangers?

Kai revealed more, "Sister Qiāntiáo told me it's some graduation trial for noble students from the 'Black Tower Alchemy Academy' in the inner city. Those pampered young masters and mistresses certainly can't risk their lives going outside the city to hunt, so they have to find a place in the city with monsters just for show.

All the aberrant creatures in the inner city have been swept clean, so they can only look in the outer city. Somehow, they heard about the monsters in the tenement houses, hence they need a local guide to handle the interaction..."

"Just that?"

Su Lun finally understood upon hearing this; so that's what it was all about.

"Don't worry, though the tube building is dangerous, you won't need to fight at all this time. Those noble students are accompanied by second-tier professional tutors for protection. As you know, the professionals from the inner city are very strong, especially those who can teach at the 'Black Tower Alchemy Academy.' They definitely won't be weaker than our officers..."

Kai said up to this point, seemingly resentful as to why he hadn't caught the eye of any big shot.

He pursed his lips, then added, "So, you just need to follow them, and you won't need to lift a finger. When the time comes, just guide them, and make sure the residents of the tube building don't disturb those noble young masters and misses."

"I see..."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun completely understood.

An inner city trial team was going to the tube building to slay monsters to complete their graduation trial and needed a local snake as a guide?

....

If the task was merely to guide, Su Lun would definitely have done everything in his power to get out of it.

He didn't want to run into acquaintances of the original body's owner.

However, hearing the address of the tube building made Su Lun hesitate.

He immediately thought of the scythe that was sealed deep in the tunnel.

After the battle at the tube building, Su Lun recognized the horror of the underground monsters. He estimated that with his own strength, without the power of a second-tier, he had no confidence he could survive and retrieve that [Cursed Object] from deep within the tunnel.

What if this group went down for the trial and, by some fluke, found the spot where the scythe had fallen? Wouldn't he be wasting a huge opportunity?

He had come to understand the value of the cursed object by now.

And during this time, he had even gone out of his way to inquire about the legends related to that [Xiupunos's Night Scythe].

Ignorance was bliss, but once he learned about it, it truly startled him.

That black scythe was indeed a legendary weapon said to be capable of slashing open rifts in space!

It could break anything, cut through anything.

No matter how hard the material was, it would be split in two under that scythe.

That's why those fellows who had attacked headquarters were able to easily break open the main vault door with that scythe.

Although that scythe must certainly have its negative "cursed characteristics" unknown to outsiders, Su Lun felt that having such a divine weapon in hand would definitely be a life-saving tool.

If he encountered an overpoweringly strong enemy, even if he couldn't defeat them, at least he'd have something that would make them wary.

....

"Perhaps I could follow these people and then use their high-end combat power to clear the monsters in the tunnel, achieving my goal of retrieving the object?"

By then, Su Lun had quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind, and a plan began to take shape.

To speak of guiding them in that dungeon tunnel, he truly was the most suitable for the task.

After all, he did have the actual map in his head!

Without much thought, Kai urged at that moment, "Su Lun, go on up, don't make the big shot wait too long."

"Sure."

Su Lun nodded his head, regardless of his decision, he had to meet the big shot from the inner city.

Perhaps they wouldn't even fancy him?

He ascended the stairs to the second-floor private rooms, coming upon a quiet corridor with a lavish carpet.

Although there was nobody around, the moment he stepped into the corridor, Su Lun felt as if a gaze was subtly fixed on him.

It wasn't an illusion, but a premonition of danger, courtesy of his high perception.

"An assassin?"

Suddenly, Su Lun became alert, his hands already quietly reaching for the handle of his gun.

And just then, an icy dagger silently pressed against the back of his neck.

In that instant, Su Lun's combat experience demanded the most rational response. His super-quick reflexes allowed him to perform a dodge before the dagger could cut his throat.

Following the momentum, an elbow strike hit the attacker's abdomen.

The assassin grunted, and as the person curled up, a pistol was already pressed against their chin.

However, Su Lun didn't shoot.

Had it been anywhere else, the attacker's head would have been blown open.

But Su Lun remembered what Kai had said and decided to be extra cautious. Since there were officers here, this attack seemed rather thought-provoking.

A test?

Indeed, at that moment, a familiar voice echoed from not far off, "I told you he was pretty good, but you had to try it for yourself..."

These words were clearly not meant for Su Lun but for someone inside the room.

Qian Tiao then beckoned to Su Lun from a distance with a smile, "Come, let me introduce you to someone."

"..."

Seeing the gambling-addicted lady, Su Lun raised an eyebrow and let out a breath.

He naturally put the gun back into the holster at his waist, then walked over.

Entering the private room, he saw a woman with an impressive bearing.