Mechanical Alchemist

Noise came from outside the door, and Bill, the Blind Detective with keen hearing, was the first to notice the anomaly. With a click, two pistols were already aimed at the office door.

Although Su Lun's perception was slightly weaker, he had preempted the situation and drew his pistol just as quickly.

He knew the trouble wouldn't be from himself, and just as the thought arose, he wondered, "Could it be that the elder brother here lost control of his thoughts and conjured up some deformed monster?"

But clearly, that wasn't the case this time.

Just as the thought flashed through his mind, a blue-skinned creature adorned with golden runes appeared at the office door.

This was not an abstract sensory image that the Blind could imagine—it was very specific, very detailed.

It didn't look like a living person, but there was a distinct breath of life about it. It was no deformed monster but certainly not a normal human either.

"Such incredible speed! What on earth is this thing?"

Su Lun's expression changed dramatically as he looked at the blue-skinned creature.

Having heard the noise downstairs just a moment ago, the creature had already appeared at the door in the blink of an eye, almost like teleporting.

With previous experiences in mind, he dared not use his identification ability straight away.

Because just by glancing at the golden runes on the monster's skin, a strong sense of lethal danger surged into his heart. He didn't hesitate to start chanting the name he had just read in his notes: "Tilmido M. Chi..."

Bill's reaction was also extremely fast. Hearing the noise at the door, his finger already pulled the trigger of the pistol.

At that moment, it was as if time had frozen. The flames from the pistol shot out slowly, but the blue-skinned figure was speeding towards the two of them.

The metal bullets struck its skin, sparked for a moment but didn't stop its charge at all.

In that instant, the blue-skinned creature had already "flashed" in front of Su Lun, then simply punched Bill in the head with a raised fist.

"Bang," blood exploded.

This highly-renowned master marksman had no chance to fight back and was killed instantly!

At that moment, the blue-skinned monster that had just killed one turned its head to look at Su Lun and threw another punch.

Su Lun watched the punch coming, not only fast but also carrying a force he couldn't comprehend, pressing down until his scalp numbed and his body almost felt ready to burst...

Fortunately, because he had anticipated correctly, the last syllable of the name he was chanting also came out of his mouth.

....

Instantly, the surroundings shifted, and he was back in the basement of 88 Ginkgo Street from the hospital.

"Huff...hah..."

Su Lun was gasping for air, as if he had just escaped a mountainous pressure, with cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

His eyes still shimmered with disbelief as he exclaimed with residual fear, "How powerful! What rank is that living corpse?!"

Earlier, there wasn't even time for an identification, merely one look at it was like facing an unattainable, forbidden terror—instinctively triggering an overwhelming sense of dread.

He felt that the blue-skinned monster was unlike anything any professional he knew could match.

Now, thinking carefully, one could tell the high level of the runes from the complexity of its patterns—it was terrifyingly high.

To make an inappropriate but vivid comparison:

The common elementary, intermediate, and advanced runes (\\) seen in the market look roughly like digits: one, two, three, four.

Whereas the golden runes on this creature's body were like these: 齉龘齉齾爩麤.

Just the luster of the runes alone was oppressive—how powerful must it be?

Usually, people in Old Lington refer to such incomprehensible ancient knowledge as "super rank knowledge." Clearly, the runes on this blue-skinned being were way beyond his understanding.

Su Lun immediately thought of the research content in the diary and realized this blue-skinned monster was a "living corpse".

....

"The Blind Detective Bill was instantly killed by that monster..."

Su Lun's eyes flickered with a grave light.

This was an oppressive feeling he had never experienced before, even in the face of death multiple times.

"Luckily, I didn't rashly go looking for some morgue, or I wouldn't even know how I died. That hospital's lower levels probably aren't just hosting one blue-skinned monster..."

He looked around the empty basement, his complexion turned grim, and he judged inwardly, "Able to instantly kill a second-stage professional, this cursed space is not just a red S-grade, but a black 'T-sealed class'!"

(Note: The levels of cursed space are classified by danger as T, S, A, B, C, D. S-grade: High-level professionals can explore with a high casualty rate; T-sealed class: The difference in levels is too great, no one survives, permanent sealing is recommended.)

Su Lun felt somewhat fortunate, thankful that the Eye of Truth had informed him of the method to break the space in advance, and that he had luckily found a clue with a temporary teammate.

Otherwise, if he had faced the monster alone, there would have been no chance of survival.

However, since the Old Cowboy had already died, he didn't feel any guilt about deceiving his temporary teammate.

Even...

The moment Bill's head exploded, he had even casually absorbed the "grey mist" dispersing from the corpse.

'Acquired "Bill Strauss's" Memory Shard*4.'

"You have obtained some information: 'The vice president of Black Tower Academy, Nikola J. Emmerich, has defected, and the organization's order is to find him. Finally, I found some clues and investigated 88 Ginkgo Street, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a trap set by that guy...'"

"You have acquired some auditory perception skills, you have mastered the 'listening for position (beginner)'..."

"You have mastered the spiritual perception ability 'Malice Perception'..."

"You have mastered the technique of multiple overlay shooting, firearms experience +547"

"Spiritual power +1.19"

Now that the crisis was resolved, Su Lun also came to his senses from that high tension, and his mind started working again.

"Bill's soul was actually perfectly preserved in this space?"

Su Lun found it incredible that he could harvest so much content, especially since that guy had been dead for several months.

Even, he felt that if he went in again, he might even see that blind man.

Next time?

No, Su Lun was sure there would be no next time for him.

Although he was curious about what kind of "cursed object" lay behind such a terrifying cursed space, he thought it was probably another object of the "Sealed Artifact" level.

But it was not feasible, and Su Lun immediately dismissed that unrealistic fantasy.

Looking back at what he had gained, he felt once again that life was worth it.

He was very satisfied with the several extra skills, his perceptual ability and combat power had skyrocketed.

"listening for position" and "Malice Perception" were practically exclusive skills for shooters, one being an auditory perception technique, and the other a passive spiritual perception.

After digesting that cluster of memories, Su Lun felt as though he had opened the door to a new sensory world.

Previously he thought the basement was quiet, but now it was filled with noise.

Listening attentively, he could even distinguish from those faint noises, which were the sounds of rats crawling in the partition walls, which were the sounds of cockroaches crawling, and which were the sounds of air circulating...

Su Lun once again took a shortcut.

This ability to discern sounds, an ordinary person might never comprehend it in their lifetime, because only those blind from birth who perceive the world solely through their hearing could focus on developing this ability.

That "Malice Perception" was the reason Su Lun got shot just by taking a glance at Bill earlier, when he wanted to assess Bill's status.

In fact, Su Lun, due to his extremely high spiritual power, already possessed some ability to perceive killing intent.

This skill was an advanced version of that ability.

One required a close look to recognize, while the other could sense any slight movements. It targeted not only killing intent but other ill will as well.

The higher the spiritual power, the wider the range and the more precise the perception.

A solid ability for both offense and defense.

And that technique of multiple overlay shooting, too, was something Su Lun had long admired but had no way to learn due to lack of opportunity and skill.

Now achieved in one step, Su Lun felt that he could now perform a "double shot." As he grew stronger, multiple overlay shooting would naturally follow suit.

After today, he finally had the means to deal with tough-skinned targets.

Indeed, it was a soul shard of a "Firearms Master."

....

However, after viewing the skill gains, the message that burst into his brain made Su Lun frown.

"The vice president of Black Tower Academy has defected? Did Bill come here to track him down?"

Seeing the name "Nikola J. Emmerich," Su Lun coincidentally had an impression of this vice president from the memories of female assistant Rosa.

However, in Rosa's memories, he was a kind-hearted, esteemed, and amiable elder.

Defected?

Su Lun felt the term was quite jarring.

The vast underworld had only one city, Old Lington, where a vice president of a prosperous Black Tower Academy, lacking neither fame nor power, could possibly defect to?

Was he another figure failed by a power struggle?

However, Su Lun did not dwell on the grievances and conflicts among the inner city's big shots, he was more concerned with something else.

"From Bill's memories, it seems he had guessed that he was falling into a trap set by the vice president? Is this 88 Ginkgo Street really just a trap?"

A thought flashed through Su Lun's mind, suddenly feeling uneasy, considering a possibility: if it was a trap, and prey had fallen into it, wouldn't a hunter come to check?

Just as there is always a spider lurking behind a cobweb. Even if not waiting for the prey it desired, it would still come to check if there was any movement.

With this thought, a sense of crisis surged in his heart.

Su Lun did not hesitate at all, picked up the scythe with the black sickle in the corner, and rushed out of the house.

And indeed, his instincts were right!