Mechanical Alchemist

"Commander, it's bad, the deputy commander has been killed!"

"What! How many enemies are there?"

"Two... two of them."

"The two who were spying on us just now? Weren't they said to be third-tier professionals? How could Petra, the deputy commander, be killed!"

"It seems so... but I'm not sure. That person's methods are very strange, capable of controlling silk threads to kill, and there's also a suspected method of invisible killing. That's how Deputy Commander Petra was killed."

"Did the person escape?"

"I don't know. That guy is tied up in the forest, and I don't know what he's doing..."

"Damn it! First and second squads, follow me."

"Yes."

....

The visibility in the jungle was nothing like that in the village, especially at night, it was almost pitch black.

The village, needing light penetration, had little vegetation, so flares could clearly illuminate everything. But in the forest, the visibility was greatly affected. Even with alchemical night vision devices, the abundance of obstacles greatly limited the field of view.

At that moment, a thick fog began to fill the air, and everyone's visibility was greatly limited.

The yellow fog was clearly not naturally formed, but rather the smoke from the burning of an alchemical potion. Drifting about, even strong lights were confined to a very limited range.

The commander of the Sun Group, "Spiked Bear" Selt, was a rugged faced man with a black beard, battle-hardened. Although he appeared rough, his mind was very delicate.

After the initial shock from hearing the news, he quickly regained his calm.

He was well aware that anyone capable of killing the deputy commander in such a short time was not to be underestimated.

The profession "Insect Controller" was very peculiar, and even he was reluctant to face it head-on. How could it be that he was killed in such a short time?

Looking at the mist in front of him, he immediately had a bad premonition, and raised his hand to stop the hundreds of people behind him, "Everyone be careful, this is alchemical fog. There might be an ambush!"

Was it necessary to be so cautious with just two enemies?

Although the others felt it was a bit of an overreaction, they all stopped as well.

Selt's unease grew even richer, eventually steering clear of recklessness.

Thinking, he asked, "Where's the perception squad, any findings?"

Someone responded, "Commander, no enemies detected. But at eleven o'clock, about eight hundred meters away, there is a heat reaction suspended in the air. It's likely Young Master Corny. He might still be alive!"

Still alive?

Selt's eyes flickered frequently.

This situation, however you looked at it, seemed like a trap set to lure in prey with deliberately laid "bait."

But he couldn't figure out where the enemy's confidence to set an ambush came from.

Or maybe it was just a feint?

He didn't take any chances, "Seventh squad, nineteenth squad, take your blast-resistant equipment and check it out. Be careful!"

"Yes, commander."

As soon as the order was given, two squads clad in heavy mechanical equipment entered the forest.

After all, a group constantly operating outdoors, they were rich in jungle warfare experience.

They deployed in squads of ten, covering each other, slowly heading toward the target area. The people at the front held mechanical shields, while those at the back held guns, aiming in all directions. Such tactical coordination, even if they encountered high-ranking enemies, could quickly form combat effectiveness.

But to their surprise, as they walked further in, not only did they see no one, but there were also no animals.

They were on guard for possible traps, but after walking a while, they found none.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Communications kept coming through the intercom.

"Jax, how's the situation?"

"Commander, no discovery. That guy must have escaped."

"..."

Everyone felt the person must have fled.

After all, the enemy was only two people, and they had two to three thousand on their side. Succeeding with fewer numbers might still be attributed to a sneak attack. But after the kill, unless the enemies were idiots, they definitely wouldn't just stick around waiting to be caught.

This fog was obviously just to slow down their pursuit.

The two third-tier squad leaders led their respective squads smoothly into the fog.

Soon, they also spotted the person tied up in midair.

At that moment, more inquiries came through the intercom.

"Jax, any situation there?"

"Commander, no situation here. We've found Young Master Corny. He's still alive... Eh..."

The reporting armored warrior approached a bit closer and, with a light eh, realized that Corny tied in the silk was violently struggling.

Upon the flare lighting up, they could clearly see that the mouth of the youngest son of the brigade commander was stitched shut with threads?

At this moment, the face of the young master was covered in blood, his eyes filled with intense fear, as if he had seen something so terrifying it distorted his face. He was trying to say something, whimpering, but couldn't articulate it.

He just kept shaking his head vigorously.

It seemed he was trying to urge these people to leave.

After all, what others didn't know, and only young master Corny had seen, was the horrifying scene of hundreds of puppets appearing!

....

The rescuers, unaware of what they were about to face, asked, "Young Master Corny, what happened to you?"

The blond young man strained his eyes towards the threads as if to hint at something, urging them not to come closer.

The intense struggle to speak caused the wounds on his lips to stretch open with fresh blood.

However, the rescuers did not understand.

"Do you want us to be careful of the threads? Okay, we will carefully get you down..."

Two teams were on guard, some attempting to untie the threads to rescue him.

But then, one of them seemed to notice something, touched their neck, feeling the unusual sensation of wet fog dampening their hairs, and didn't think much of it.

But suddenly...

The threads in the fog suddenly coalesced, as if hearing someone softly command, "Silk Control Secret Technique - Slaughterhouse!"

Immediately after, the sound of blades slicing through flesh and bone rang out sharply.

Upon closer look, a dozen or so heads fell to the ground, spurting blood in sync, creating a gruesome scene of human fountains everywhere.

"No good!"

Two third-order captains reacted swiftly, spotting the threads and avoiding the noose around their necks.

Several heavily armored professionals also barely blocked a fatal blow with their robust external mechanical skeletons.

But seeing the human fountains beside them, the few survivors' faces drastically changed. Having dodged the first wave, they tried to retreat but found themselves surrounded by a dense web of threads.

The numerous threads, dozens woven together, slithered like a tide of snakes, wrapping around their bodies, and instantly immobilizing them...

In the control range of the "Puppet Theater," how could anyone escape?

The fourth-tier water elemental threads were extremely flexible and densely packed, impossible to cut or tear...

Even fourth-tier professionals trapped for a short time couldn't hope to escape, let alone these lower-tier professionals?

Simultaneously, several doll puppets dropped down from the treetops, their mouths emitting strange, disorienting laughter. Their blades mercilessly stabbed into the bodies of the few survivors.

In the chaos, the sound of gunfire crackled erratically.

But it abruptly stopped.

....

There was indeed an ambush!

Outside the dense forest, hearing the gunfire, Selt's expression was exceptionally grim and brooding.

The communicator was silent, meaning those two elite teams had been killed.

He immediately realized that the enemy hadn't left, but indeed intended to use his son as bait in their trap!

At this moment, another squad leader offered eagerly, "Commander, the enemy might still be hiding in the dense forest. Shall I lead some teams in there again?"

"No."

Selt shook his head grimly, "The enemy might be aiming to destroy us one by one. If they could easily kill Jax and the others, sending more teams would be useless. Since they dared to stay, they must have some means."

Hearing this, the captains fell silent.

"Could the enemy be a fifth-tier professional?"

"Even if not, they must be nearly so, otherwise how could Captain Jax's team have been killed without even sending a distress signal..."

"..."

Listening to his subordinates' whispering, Selt's expression grew darker.

This situation was even more difficult than the previous attempt to surround and suppress the Ge'ya tribe.

Being capable of killing a fourth-tier deputy commander, the enemy could likely kill him too; Selt dared not act recklessly.

"What about the scouts we sent out?"

"They've been silent since they entered the fog. They're probably dead."

"Can't the fog be dispersed?"

"Not in the short term. The person who deployed it has set up a sophisticated air circulation device in the forest. When the wind blows, the fog will circulate within the same area, making dispersion very ineffective. Unless we go into the forest and find the fogging device to deactivate it..."

"..."

The operation was momentarily at a standstill.

One thing they were sure of was that the "enemy" had not left.

Just then, the soil on the ground slowly rose and formed into a black-skinned woman with a witch's hat and tattoos all over her face.

She was another vice-captain of the Sun Group, a fourth-order professional, "Elemental Witch" Frida McCarty.

The crowd began to greet her, "Vice-captain!"

Selt nodded towards her, "Frida, why have you come?"

"Captain, there might be some issue with this..."
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The black-skinned woman spoke directly, "Petra's 'Insect Perception Secret Art' has never been wrong. I also feel that those two are just third-order. If they were fifth-order professionals, they wouldn't need to resort to so many schemes and plots. Him being able to kill Petra means he likely has some advanced cursed object, or perhaps a 'Sealed Item'. But the more powerful those items are, the bigger the cost to use them. I don't believe he can keep using them..."

Selt frowned, listening and finding it reasonable, "Vice-captain Frida, you mean to say..."

"Charge together, we must kill those two people!"

The black-skinned woman said, "No matter how powerful, they are only two people. If we gather the high-order professionals in our group, we can eliminate them in one fell swoop, otherwise, it will lead to endless trouble!"

She paused and then analyzed, "One of those two is a subhuman, who might just be one that got away from this tribe. Even if we don't go after them now, they could continue to harass us. If we don't kill them now, once we start transporting slaves into the forest, it'll be even more troublesome! The longer we wait, the worse it is for us!"

Now, regardless of the reason, killing a vice-captain of the group meant a death feud had been established.

Besides, behind them was a Big Shot of the imperial capital, so they weren't afraid of offending people. If things weren't handled well and it got back to them, that would be a real problem.

Selt looked fierce as he listened, "Good!"

The side with more people often blindly trusts in numbers, thinking they can overwhelm the opponent with sheer volume.

Usually, that is indeed the case.

They, the "Sun Slave Hunters," came to surround and kill the subhuman tribe with over two thousand people.

With four fourth-order professionals, dozens of elite three-order captains, and even low-order professionals managing to secure retired military equipment through businessmen and nobility of the capital, the legion's combat strength was extraordinary.

This was why other slave hunting groups didn't dare touch subhuman medium tribes, and their Sun Group did.

Strength, that is confidence.

Even facing fifth-order professionals, they could rely on sheer numbers to crush them to death!

Soon, apart from a necessary few left to guard the slaves in the stockade, the dense forest outside was densely packed with people.

...

Su Lun sat atop the treetops, somewhat bored.

He had thought he might ambush a few more groups, but listening to the noises outside the forest, it seemed the enemy was prepared to rush them en masse.

However, this suited him just fine.

It was a good opportunity for a slaughter.

The Puppet Theater needed more "actors" to liven things up.

The thick fog limited everyone's visibility, but for Su Lun, the impact was minimal. Now with "Soul Perception" and his ability to "listen for position," he could almost detect any enemy within his perception range.

In contrast, it was difficult for the enemies to detect him.

Even with methods like "Thermal Perception" and "Life Perception," few people knew such spells. Even if they did, Su Lun, being wrapped in a shroud, couldn't be discovered before he acted.

Besides, his body was not the main character of this massacre.

It was those tricky puppets hidden everywhere.

"Two fourth-order? Tsk tsk... Quite cautious indeed."

Su Lun's eyes gleamed with a mad smile.

Fearless, he grew only more excited.

In his perception range, suddenly, hundreds of soul fires appeared, growing in number.

He wasn't in a rush to act, just waiting for those fellows to walk into the "theater."

As the numbers increased and the ground search intensified, several hidden "Alchemical Foggers" were gradually discovered in the forest. Once the devices were destroyed, the dense fog began to thin.

Su Lun did not stop them.

Those two fourth-orders were keeping watch. He was just waiting for a chance to act when they'd focus their attacks.

While the prey had not yet fully entered the trap, suddenly, Su Lun noticed something, "Eh..."

He sensed a fourth-order soul fire rapidly emerge from a large tree, "Elemental Integration?"

Among the bodies Su Lun had previously stripped, there were some memories concerning this person, "It should be the vice-captain of the slave hunting group, that 'Elemental Witch' Frida who awakened 'B-003-Elemental Absorber'..."

Fourth-order professionals, more or less, all have a few tricks up their sleeves.

This woman was powerful; her talent allowed her to quickly absorb elemental power from various objects to perform various spells.

For instance, absorbing the power of earth elements and merging into the ground.

Probably wanted to hide in the tree and ambush someone?

Heh...

Su Lun scoffed in his mind but didn't bother with her just yet.

By this time, those who had walked in had largely entered the coverage range of the sorcerer's formation.

These guys were clearly on guard against invisible targets, walking forward and launching reagent grenades that revealed their positions.

Su Lun knew he could no longer hide.

But it was almost time.

Before the men could fully form an encirclement, he smirked mockingly and suddenly leaped down.

This action naturally did not satisfy the enemy's life perception practitioners.

In the forest, a loud yell broke out, "Captain, there's something at nine o'clock!"

Before that shout had fallen, a brown, humanoid giant bear had already charged over.

"Oh? The captain himself has come..."

Su Lun immediately recognized him as Selt, the captain of the Slaver Group - Spiked Bear.

Strong and tough, it would be difficult to kill him in a short time.

He had no intention of confronting this troublesome guy head-on just yet.

Watching the burly figure charging over, the corners of Su Lun's mouth turned up slightly. He grasped at the void and yanked hard, summoning a large mechanical war Mecha, holding the Ship-Cutter. Accompanied by the roaring of the steam boiler, it descended from the sky and crashed straight into him.

"Boom!"

The loud noise of the impact sounded just as the Mecha and the giant bear collided.

Selt quickly identified what had collided with him and his face changed dramatically: "A Mafan war Mecha!"

Su Lun didn't give him a chance to be shocked. At the same moment of the clash, he pinched his sorcerer's seals with both hands and narrowed his eyes, harshly chanting, "Silk Control Secret Technique - Cocoon World!"

In an instant, silk threads flooded the area like a tidal wave... covering the sky!

....

During the time he waited for the enemy, Su Lun had not been idle.

Using the giant trees in the forest as supports, Su Lun had expended a large amount of cursed crystals to weave a massive net early on.

The advantage of the Infinite Witch's hair became apparent. As long as there was enough energy, it could grow indefinitely.

Woven into a wall, it was incredibly tough. Ordinary cannons might not even be able to penetrate it.

Another look at the silk threads that had become visible, and it appeared that they had wrapped a large portion of the forest into a thick layer of cocoons.

This area had just trapped everyone within the "Puppet Theatre's" range.

....

"Dammit, what the hell is this silk thread... why is there so much of it!"

"Be careful, something else is falling from the trees!"

"..."

As soon as the silk threads appeared, the dense forest immediately turned chaotic, and the sounds of gunfire erupted.

Behind Su Lun, the Eight-Armed Spider Spear unfurled, and suddenly hundreds of mystical puppets fell from the sky!

The puppets, cackling madly in the sky, flew chaotically and fearlessly plunged into the crowd, commencing a massacre...

In the past, Su Lun, who multitasked, could manage to control twenty to thirty puppets with 80% efficiency; now, with his spiritual power greatly enhanced, he effortlessly fully controlled more than a hundred mystical puppets!

This was the true manifestation of the "Hundred Guile Nightwalk"!

Moreover, the various puppets had also seen a qualitative improvement.

Especially now, with fourth-tier runes engraved on the "Nightmare Dolls," their ability to control minds had greatly advanced.

Earlier, Su Lun had used mist to limit visibility, not to block the enemy's sight but for this moment.

To force the enemy's hearing to its utmost limit!

Now, as the hundreds of puppets wailed together, their voices echoed in the enclosed space like a flash flood, resounding in all directions.

"Cackle cackle cackle..."

The eerie laughter instantly dazed people.

Caught off guard, the lower-ranked practitioners instantly fell into a state of mental confusion.

Moreover, the silk thread was not just used to create a "Cocoon."

In the puppet theatre, the silk threads bound everything.

Silk control, sonic mind control, and various puppets working together made for highly efficient killing. For a moment, within the vast theatre like cries filled the air, limbs and body parts flew chaotically, akin to an animal slaughterhouse, with blood flowing like rivers...

In just one face-off, the Slave Hunting Team was reaped like wheat, cut down swath by swath...

Su Lun's puppet army displayed for the first time the terrifying combat power of swarm warfare.

The various puppets interspersed through the crowd inevitably brought about a splash of bloodshed.

As long as the controller didn't die, within the theatre, the puppet army was invincible; everything was puppet fodder!