Mechanical Alchemist

The slave-hunting team had been capturing slaves in the forest for many years and possessed significant combat experience in the wilderness; even at the perimeter, they were never completely unguarded.

Su Lun and his companion concealed their presence well atop the trees.

However, they overlooked the various insects that were common in the forest.

It was difficult to guard against such things.

After the sniper fired, the two leaped down from the tree.

They landed in the woods and had not run far before they were surrounded by a peripheral patrol of the slave-hunting team.

Seeing that Su Lun was human, the people did not rush to take action, the leader of the team shouted harshly, "Stop! Run again and we will shoot!"

A sharp glint flashed in Su Lun's eyes, and he stopped.

The other party did not take action, and he did not plan to strike first either.

Moreover, he had already discovered a fourth-tier professional hidden in the mud under their feet.

"A talent for earth manipulation?"

Su Lun pondered for a moment.

After sensing again, there weren't many people coming from the fort, not a big problem.

He patted Yuta next to him, signaling her not to rush into action.

The people caught up, a total of thirty-four, led by a few third-tiers.

These people surrounded Su Lun and his companion.

....

Among the third-tier, there was a middle-aged axeman wearing silver lion armor, appearing to be a captain.

He looked at Su Lun and asked, "Who are you? Why are you spying on our Sun Group hunting team?"

"I'm an adventurer, drawn here by the commotion of the fight," Su Lun didn't elaborate further.

If not necessary, he did not intend to kill.

The slave trade was more a malformed industry caused by the times, not fitting many universal values.

These slave hunters couldn't entirely be said to be right or wrong.

However, while speaking, Su Lun's gaze lingered only briefly on Big Beard before turning to study the gaunt man beside him.

This guy was odd, he appeared alive, but he had no soul fire.

In his Soul Perception, "he" had some thread-like creatures inside.

Living body parasitism?

Su Lun thought of the guy underground and murmured to himself.

The body was alive, but it was not the soul of the body controlling the movements, but rather parasitic worms.

It was the method of an Insect Controller.

...

Hearing Su Lun's explanation, Big Beard cautiously sized up Su Lun.

Anyone who dared to walk alone in the forest was not weak. The sniper's probing shot had also confirmed that this was an expert.

Moreover, being surrounded yet so calm evidently meant some other reliance was at his disposal.

He did not dare to act rashly.

Seeing that the other party also seemed disinclined to initiate combat, Su Lun asked, "May we go now?"

But at this moment, while Big Beard was pondering how to respond, a blond young man next to him caught sight of Yuta and frowned, asking, "Is this white wolf a beast-transformed subhuman?"

Su Lun suddenly felt malice in those eyes and calmly stated, "She is my friend."

"Friend? Heh…"

The blond young man snorted lightly, seemingly finding the term ironic.

Slaves deserve to be called friends?

He turned to Big Beard and said, "Uncle Wolff, I think this guy's motives are very suspicious. We absolutely can't let him go without figuring it out!"

This fellow seemed to have a special status in the hunting group; when he spoke, no one else said anything.

Perhaps because they thought they had the overwhelming advantage in numbers, the slave hunters also looked at Su Lun and his companion with faces full of mockery.

Big Beard looked at Su Lun, and after a moment, asked again, "Do you have any noble titles? Or do you have a past with our Sun Commerce Guild?"

"I'm just an ordinary adventurer," Su Lun shook his head.

He knew that the other side was trying to probe his background, but he also had no interest in tangling with these people further: "I think, if there's nothing else, could you please step aside?"

"…"

Hearing this, Big Beard became somewhat uncertain.

If the other party had proclaimed some significant background, perhaps he would not be so hesitant.

It was this indifferent attitude that made it completely unclear what the man's origins were.

And while he hesitated, the blond young man, hearing a message through the communicator, smiled: Just third-tier?

In that case, there was no need to be cautious.

The blond young man immediately made the decision for Big Beard, addressing Su Lun, "Take off your mask, hand over your weapons and Storage Ring for inspection. Once we clear things up, we will naturally let you go."

Big Beard, hearing this, felt it was inappropriate and tried to say something, "Young Master Corny..."

He felt there was completely no need to provoke some lone adventurers.

They also posed no threat to their group.

Even in cases of robbery and murder, a big group like theirs would not covet the meager wealth of ordinary adventurers.

But the blond young man waved his hand and added, "This white wolf's beast transformation is so perfect, she must hold a high position in a subhuman tribe. This guy's background is really suspicious."

This point did have some merit.

But to hand over weapons and let others decide his fate, Su Lun naturally couldn't comply.

Hearing this, his tone became less calm: "I have no intention of being an enemy to your group, at least not at the moment. So I think, sir, you'd better not make this difficult for me."

The blond youth sneered inwardly when he heard this, "A third-tier professional, putting on airs like this?"

He felt that he had seen through everything and immediately pointed the musket in his hand at Su Lun's head, saying, "I also think you'd better do as I say."

With the gun pointed at his head, Su Lun suddenly fell silent, a flash of red gleaming in his eyes.

Having witnessed a slaughter earlier, he had already a raging evil fire building in his heart.

Now, hearing these aggressive words, the "flood of ferocious beasts" inside him began to rage uncontrollably. His eyes grew more fierce, and his tone suddenly became very sharp, "Are you threatening me?"

The blond youth chuckled coldly, arrogantly replied, "If you think it is, then so it is."

Just a third-tier, hardly qualified to negotiate terms.

Hearing the overt threat, Su Lun's eyes flashed with unbridled ferocity. His rationality could no longer control the wild beast that had broken out of its cage.

Su Lun knew that those negative emotions could become turbulent due to certain "triggers." Once out of control, some actions were no longer manageable by reason. He forcefully suppressed the raging emotions and squeezed out a few words from his throat, "I don't want to kill, you better not provoke me."

With that, Su Lun stopped paying attention to the man and said to Yuta beside him, "Let's go."

Yuta felt that the atmosphere was somewhat off but didn't ask further, silently following by Su Lun's side.

The two of them walked past several gun-wielding slave catchers without looking back.

Those people, seeing a man and a wolf walking straight towards them, were also overpowered by the fierce aura emanating from him.

In their eyes, what they saw was not a man but a Grim Reaper slowly walking towards them.

If they really dared to make a move, it seemed they would immediately... die!

For a moment, no one spoke. The deep forest was silent, the sound of swallowing audible.

The crowd blocking the way was parted by the invisible force of that aura, and Su Lun walked out of the encirclement with unyielding steps, utterly disregarding the close-at-hand musket and crossbow.

....

Yuta was aware of Su Lun's mental distortion issue, and seeing his current state, she couldn't help but worry.

Although she didn't understand why these slave catchers hadn't made a move, she remained vigilant.

She didn't believe that these despicable slave catchers would easily let them go.

Yuta saw the light of sin in their eyes.

Sure enough!

Just as they were about to leave.

Suddenly, a gunshot sounded from behind.

"Bang!"

The alchemical bullet aimed at Su Lun's head, but what it hit was Yuta, who threw herself in front of him to block the bullet.

Yuta felt that Mr. Su Lun's body couldn't compare to her beast-transformed body or her suit of mechanical armor, so it would be very dangerous, and she unhesitatingly blocked him.

Now that the others had made their move, Yuta naturally wasn't going to be captured without a fight.

Transformed into a fierce white wolf, she ferociously lunged into the crowd, unleashing a "Wind Blade Technique" with each bite, blowing people off their feet, blood and flesh flying everywhere.

Even amidst the fierce battle, she didn't forget to shout urgently, "Mr. Su Lun, you run first!"

....

The gunfire sounded like the bugle call of battle, yet rather than surprise, a "should-have-known" smirk appeared on the faces of the slave hunters.

They reacted immediately, raising their guns to fire.

For a moment, the air was filled with a loud crackling of gunshots.

Yet amidst the hail of bullets, Su Lun didn't move; instead, a relieved, sinister grin spread across his face.

He emitted a bizarre "hehehe" from his throat, muttering to himself, "You just had to give me a reason to kill..."

Actually, Su Lun had sensed the murderous intent behind him long ago. He didn't dodge because the "ferocious beasts" in the depths of his heart needed a "legitimate reason" to break out of their cage.

The bullets were dense. Some hit Yuta, others hit him, creating a "clink, clink, clink" sound as they struck metal.

Still, Su Lun did not evade; the grinning expression beneath his mask grew increasingly fierce and uninhibited, "Hahahahaha...."

In the dense forest, this penetrating laughter seemed to overpower the intense gunfire.

....

Big Beard, observing that Su Lun hadn't died, his complexion slightly changed. On closer inspection, he saw a faint dark golden luminescence seeping from Su Lun's skin and immediately recognized it: "The Vajra Secret Technique!"

Such proficiency in the Vajra Technique made even a seasoned third-tier professional like him shudder.

Listening to that hair-raising laughter, his instincts warned him that something terrible was about to happen, and he shouted, "Young Master Corny, be careful!"

But the warning came too late!

No sooner had he spoken than Su Lun's figure in the distance suddenly dispersed.

Upon closer look, next to the blond young man, another figure had inexplicably appeared.

The distance Su Lun could cover with his "Flash" Teleportation now was more than ten times what it had been before; at this speed, no low-tier professional could react in time.

The blond felt a cold breeze brush past his neck, then a great terror of impending death instantly surged into his heart, causing goosebumps to explode all over his body.

But he was also perplexed.

He was nearly a breakthrough third-tier expert himself, yet he hadn't reacted at all?

What... what kind of technique had this guy used!

Over the communicator, wasn't it said that the insect senses suggested this was just a third-tier professional?

In that moment, he realized he had probably gotten himself into big trouble...

However, his thoughts had no time to further process, as something even more terrifying happened.

Just as the reflection in Corny's eyes began to disperse, he suddenly discovered he couldn't move his body. On closer inspection, several sharp threads had somehow quietly appeared and bound him.

Yes!

Sharp!

The moment he touched them, he felt a bone-chilling pain. He knew very well that any slight movement would immediately slice him into pieces!

Corny was utterly terrified: What kind of technique were these threads?!

....

With a fierce red glint in his eyes, Su Lun's clown mask had turned blood-red due to the excessive absorption of spiritual power.

"Silk Control Secret Technique - Slaughterhouse!"

He sneered and with a light shout, his ten fingers clawed at the void, yanking fiercely.

The countless green silken threads floating in the air suddenly tightened and gathered.

Only the sounds of blood spurting could be heard as bursts of blood exploded in the air. The underlings around the blond young man hadn't yet reacted to what had happened when their bodies were sliced into pieces by the sharp threads...

Except for a few third-tier professionals who reacted swiftly and managed to distance themselves, the seven or eight first and second-tier professionals beside the young man turned into a heap of mangled flesh.

And it wasn't over yet!

Once he began, Su Lun would not give his enemies any opportunity.

He clapped his hands together, formed the sorcerer's seals, and behind him, the grim eight-armed spider spear had already appeared.

No sooner had the seal been set than he gathered his power again, and a cross suddenly appeared in the sky with invisible threads of silk raining down from it.

However, he didn't kill the blond young master but suspended him mid-air. Countless green silken threads interwove into a net, sharp as blades, and any slight movement to rescue him would lead to immediate dismemberment!

Escaping while taking a hostage?

No!

A rampant thought in Su Lun's mind could no longer be suppressed,

he wanted to kill all of these fellows!

He wouldn't be satisfied until the "Ferocious Beasts" in his mind were pacified!

Chasing these guys in the forest wasn't efficient at killing; encircling and relieving forces were just right.

....

Su Lun killed seven or eight people with a teleportation, binding up the young master, immediately confusing the "Sun Catcher Slaver Group."

Even the fourth-tier fellow hiding underground was greatly shocked.

Succeeding in a sneak attack right before a fourth-tier professional?

"Spatial Teleportation?"

At that moment, the skinny man by Big Beard suddenly spoke up, "Everyone, stop moving!"

At this command, the slaver group's people all stopped.

Su Lun watched the skinny man, pretending not to notice that this was a "parasitic life form."

As no one rushed forward to die, he also stopped.

At this moment, he sensed something, a mocking smile crossing his eyes.

He had known there was a fourth-tier Insect Controller among them, how could he have been completely unprepared?

Listening to the faint sound of mosquitoes flapping their wings by his ear, Su Lun formed the sorcerer's seals with his hands, and suddenly, a pale purple flame emerged from his body. The tiny insects, as small as sesame seeds, hadn't even gotten close before they were burned to ash.

Seeing this flame, the skinny man's expression didn't change, unsurprised that his sneak attack was seen through.

What surprised him was something else; he asked, "Are you a person from the Lu Ying royal family?"

"..."

Su Lun didn't regard his words, instead sensing the actual location of this guy's body underground.

Seeing that he didn't respond, the skinny man's eyes shifted, saying again, "Since you're a royal, there might be a misunderstanding here. You haven't suffered any loss, how about we stop here?"

"Oh?"

Su Lun listened and laughed coldly.

This guy spoke of stopping, but his underground body didn't stay idle.

Feigning ignorance, he also responded with interest, "I've killed so many of you, and you're willing to let me go just like that?"

With an expressionless face, the skinny man said, "If it's a misunderstanding, naturally we are at fault."

"Heh, now you speak so easily?"

Red light in Su Lun's eyes did not diminish as he retorted, "What if I didn't have a means to protect myself just now? Wouldn't I have been killed several times over by now? Isn't it too late to talk about this now?"

Saying so, he hooked his finger, and the blond young man bound in the network of threads suddenly let out a painful scream, "Ah...!"

Upon another look, a severed hand fell down, blood gushing like a fountain.

The skinny man, seemingly unable to make the complex expressions of a living person, watched this scene but still dully asked, "What exactly do you want?"

"I don't want anything particular."

Red-eyed Su Lun, already aware of what that guy was planning, laughed weirdly.

His tone mocking and scornful, no longer hiding his murderous intent, his words seemed squeezed through the gaps in his teeth, sending shivers down one's spine, "I now only wish to be killed by you all... or perhaps to kill all of you!"

Hearing these words, everyone in the slaver group changed color simultaneously.

Only then did they realize they seemed to have provoked a madman!

"Hmph!"

A cold snort.

Hearing this, the skinny man also realized there was no more room for discussion.

Whether or not he was from the Lu Ying royal family, they had to fight!

It was only a third-tier professional; if not for the hostage on the thread, they could have killed him with a backhand...

He no longer hid, formed the sorcerer's seals with both hands, seemingly properly casting a spell.

Just then, a gigantic centipede tail suddenly burst through the ground not far away.

The target was not Su Lun, but Yuta!

After all, hidden underground was a fourth-tier professional, and it was a sneak attack; Yuta hadn't yet reacted when her silver wolf form was tightly bound by the centipede. To prevent her from breaking free and escaping, the centipede's feet, like scythes, also pierced into the wolf's flesh, serving both as a shield and a hostage.

The one hidden underground knew that attacking Su Lun, even if they could kill him, the leader's son would also be cut to death by the threads. He was completely unsure of being able to save him, so grabbing a hostage was perhaps the only opportunity.

"So it's a 'Iron-Back Centipede' forged puppet, huh..."

Only then did Su Lun clearly see that the Insect Controller's underground body was like this.

It looked like a giant bug, but its soul flame was human.

The human controller above ground, on the other hand, was just a decoy."

Tsk tsk, quite the disguise.

Seeing this, Su Lun was not surprised at all, sneering to himself, "Tsk tsk...you hiding underground, I really wasn't sure I could kill you in one shot, but now you've courted death yourself!"

This guy had bound Yuta, but likewise, he had trapped himself on the spot, unable to escape.

If Su Lun could not distinguish the real from the fake, he might still have focused his attention on the "parasite" on the ground.

But now, without any hesitation, he hooked his finger, and the invisible living corpse in the air chopped towards a giant centipede not far away.

This Ironback Centipede had an astonishing defense, which was difficult to break even if its true form was discovered by peers of the same class.

Unfortunately, under the black sickle, it was cut with stunning smoothness.

The skinny man also noticed Su Lun's movement and sensed the lethal danger, but since the centipede's body was trapping Yuta, he couldn't avoid it in time. A spatial crack appeared for a moment, and the head, protected by thick centipede armor, was chopped off.

With a clatter, the head of the centipede hit the ground.

An Insect Controller of the fourth rank, without managing to use even twenty percent of his skills, died on the spot.

Just as the centipede's head was severed, the skinny man who was talking just a moment ago suddenly turned into a puddle of mucus and slumped to the ground.

Upon closer inspection, strands of black thread-like worms, resembling hair, crazily emerged from the corpse and burrowed into the ground.

Seeing this, the members of the Sun Catcher Brigade were stunned!

Su Lun, having killed the fourth-rank professional, smiled even more broadly.

Raising his hand, he swiftly drew his dual guns and fired repeatedly, killing several minions in quick succession. In that instant, more than half of the thirty people who had come to surround him were dead.

The surviving members of the Sun Catcher Brigade were already terrified by his eerie ability to kill from a distance.

A powerful and incredibly strange fourth-rank deputy leader was killed in an encounter?

Seeing this scene, even several third-rankers felt a chill down their spine, and in panic, they stumbled and crawled to hide in the forest.

Only then did they realize that they had provoked a truly terrifying entity.

Over the communicator, one after another screamed desperately, "Leader, it's terrible! Deputy Leader Petra has been killed!"
Your next chapter awaits on empire

...

Not far away, Yuta was greatly shocked. She had just been bound by the centipede and had fallen into despair.

Such a powerful enemy was clearly a fourth-rank professional.

She had just thought of telling Su Lun not to worry about her, to escape if he could.

But before she could speak, in an instant, the centipede's head was chopped off?

The situation changed so dramatically that for a moment she didn't know what to say.

Looking at Su Lun from a distance, she realized that besides his mechanical armor, he also had such powerful skills?

Yet, looking at that very unfamiliar sensation, Yuta was somewhat worried; she knew it was an abnormal state of mental distortion.

She ran over and asked, "Mr. Su Lun, are you alright?"

Su Lun glanced at her, smelling the blood, with a face expressing his enjoyment like drawing silk, "No, I'm very good."

As he spoke, he walked leisurely over, devoured the gray mist from the centipede's body, and without looking much at the spoils on the corpse, casually tossed it into his Storage Space.

Yuta watched as the enemy temporarily retreated and breathed a sigh of relief, but her wolf ears twitched and she urgently said, "Mr. Su Lun, the enemy from the village has arrived, many... very many! We must leave here immediately!"

"Leave?"

Hearing this, Su Lun shook his head, "It's just beginning..."

Naturally, he heard dense movements coming from the forest, the sound of a large troop approaching.

His flesh excitedly trembled all over.

Hearing this, Yuta thought his mental state was problematic and said anxiously, "But... there are too many enemies! Even with hostages, if they surround us, our situation will be very dangerous!"

"Many people?"

Su Lun's tone was full of playfulness, the corners of his mouth under the mask lifted in an arc, "That's not necessarily true..."

Saying this, he took out three scrolls from the Storage Space and spread them in the air. Forming a seal, he uttered softly, "Seal·Release!"

Yuta didn't understand what he was planning to do.

But in that moment, the spatial formation glyphs drawn on those three scrolls lit up and exploded with a bang.

Upon a closer look, two to three hundred various puppets densely appeared around them.

[Nightmare Dolls], [Blast-Proof Dolls], [Frost Dolls]...

Silken threads fell from the sky one by one, pulling the scattered puppets.

They instantly seemed to come to life, floating, running, jumping... jubilantly.

The friction of wooden joints moving made a "crack," "crack," "crack"...

In this silent forest, the sounds were particularly eerie.

The puppets wore a bizarre and exaggerated smile on their faces, as if they were looking forward to the bloody banquet that was about to ensue.

Now awakened with the ability of multitasking, Su Lun had truly mastered the [Secret Technique·A Hundred Tricks at Night]!

...

Seeing the overwhelming array of various dolls, Yuta's eyes widened, shocked, "This..."

Were these the puppets that Mr. Su Lun had been carving all this time?

She just remembered that Mr. Su Lun once mentioned his profession seemed to be... a Puppet Master?

But how...

Even for a Puppet Master, how could he control hundreds of puppets?

At this moment, she completely didn't understand what Su Lun was planning to do, worriedly saying, "Mr. Su Lun, are you... are you going to fight them?"

"Hehe... yes."

The laughter from Su Lun at this moment made everyone feel a chilling sensation as if a knife was scraping their throats.

Before even starting, Yuta already felt his overwhelming murderous intent.

Su Lun had not lost his reason; he just couldn't suppress his instinctual killing desire.

He wouldn't let go of anyone who bore ill will towards him.

Looking at Yuta nearby, he said, "Yuta, when the fight starts, keep your distance from me... I'm afraid of hurting you."

"Ah? This..."

Yuta was at a loss for what to do, and before she could react, the threads had already pulled her body, abruptly dragging her to the treetops.

Su Lun stood alone on the grass, watching the crowded figures approaching in the forest, and tilted his neck with a "crack" sound.

Yet he smirked and muttered to himself, "Welcome to my Puppet Slaughterhouse..."