Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun had not expected to see from outside the window that inside the house, a woman wielding a knife was interrogating Dam, the human trafficker he was searching for.

With a spider-like grip, he instinctively pulled out his gun, aimed, but immediately lowered the barrel. He knew very well that the woman's prowess was bizarrely strong, and even shooting her would definitely not injure her. Most importantly, he realized that even though the woman had noticed him, she did not show any intention to attack or any malice.

The woman had shoulder-length purple hair and was clad in a form-fitting bunny girl outfit, with a gothic ultra-short skirt that split on the left to the hip bone, black thigh-high stockings, and fluffy bunny ears... Coupled with her cold, indifferent expression as she wielded the knife, her entire being exuded a chilly sexiness.

Su Lun realized the outfit was probably a disguise for infiltration.

This was the first time Su Lun had seen the woman's figure, and a thought flashed through his mind: "I remember the warrant said her hair was silver-white... and wasn't she supposed to be a 'mechanical warrior'? Doesn't seem like it..."

The bikini-like bodysuit revealed her graceful curves, and the high waistline indicated strong muscles in her buttocks and thighs. The black high-heeled boots made her legs look incredibly long. Such perfect proportions made her seem almost unreal, as if she had been artificially crafted to golden ratios.

The purple-haired woman also seemed unexpected to encounter someone outside the window, a hint of astonishment flashing across her face.

Their eyes met for an instant.

....

One was holding a knife to the human trafficker's neck, the other was about to climb through the window, clearly neither party seemed affiliated with the Steam Party.

But what was this "walking three million" doing here instead of finding a place to hide?

Moreover, what struck Su Lun as odd was that, the moment the woman saw him, a vigilant light flashed in her eyes, as if she was about to raise her knife, but then it vanished just as quickly, and her attack posture relaxed.

That look was as if... she recognized someone familiar?

So, quietly, neither of them made a move.

It seemed the purple-haired woman had already obtained the information she needed. She didn't care that someone was watching from outside the window, and with a flick of the white wrapped katana in her hand, she ended Dam's life.

Blood stained the carpet, the heavy scent of blood filling the air.

Su Lun, hanging outside the window, witnessed the woman casually kill a man and suddenly didn't know what to do next.

Although the woman had not shown any malice, he also hadn't gotten the key. He felt it wasn't right to enter, nor did it feel right to leave.

At that moment, after the purple-haired woman had silenced the witness and sheathed her blade, she finally turned and asked Su Lun, "What are you here for?"

Su Lun replied, "To get the keys, to free the slaves in the basement."

The woman gave him another look upon hearing this.

After a moment's thought, she bent down, emotionlessly pulled a bunch of keys from the waist of the corpse, and tossed them to Su Lun, adding, "I'll stay in the house for another five minutes."

Although brief, Su Lun understood clearly, he had only five minutes to execute the rescue.

Or perhaps, in five minutes, she was planning to cause a big commotion?

"Thank you."

But Su Lun didn't meddle further, his mission was to rescue, and he wasn't interested in what the woman intended to do.

He turned to leave, but before going, he couldn't help but ask, "Do you know me?"

"..."

The woman was very cold, clearly not interested in engaging with him.

Su Lun waited a second, received no response, and climbed down the wall.

But he understood the expression the woman had shown earlier.

She definitely recognized him.

No, more precisely, she recognized the "original host"!

In this world full of extraordinary abilities, it wasn't impossible for some to possess high-precision facial recognition capabilities, such as recognizing eyes, cranial contours, or teeth - features not easily changed by disguise.

It was clear that the woman knew the original host, although they appeared to have no cordial relationship.

Who was she, and who was the original host?

....

Su Lun didn't dwell further, taking the keys, he descended the wall.

He discarded his disguise and headed straight to the basement.

As he opened the heavy iron door, a foul stench hit him. Inside were around fifty to sixty ragged individuals, old and young, clearly impoverished people struggling to survive. They huddled in various corners of the cell, trembling as they eyed the masked Su Lun.

Su Lun didn't mince words, simply saying, "You can leave now, go upstairs to the second floor and remember not to make any noise. You can jump out of the second-floor window over the perimeter wall and make it to the street outside. Whether you escape or not depends on your own luck."

If he could help, he wouldn't mind lending a hand, but he knew very well he couldn't possibly take so many people with him alone.

The people in the cell were initially fearful, but recognizing that the body on the ground meant their masked rescuer was not a trafficker, they began to move.

One of them tried the door and, finding Su Lun did not stop him, quickly fled. Seeing this, the rest of the group hurriedly surged out.

Su Lun, quick in both eye and hand, caught three youngsters at the doorway.

The others, seeing him catch them, didn't interfere much. In a blink, the vast basement was emptied.

Nancy and her two companions, when caught, looked terrified, thinking that the masked man intended to harm them.

But Su Lun didn't waste words. He directly pulled out three sets of new clothing and boots that he had prepared from the storage ring and said, "Big Brother Danny entrusted me to rescue you. Jump over the wall and immediately change clothes, remember to throw your dirty clothes into the sewer. And don't run around aimlessly, walk slowly south along the street, don't look around!"

All the orphan thieves from the Knight district had been captured; these few would be easily recognized by the Steam Gang if they just fled to the streets. Su Lun did not want to go through the trouble of rescuing them again.

At the mention of Danny's name, all three faces lit up with excitement.

Beta: "Ah, Big Brother Danny came to rescue us!"

Brown: "I told you, Big Brother Danny would definitely find a way to save us."

The young girl named Nancy, looking at Su Lun timidly, said, "Thank you, sir."

Su Lun cut off the kids' excitement with a cold shout, "Hurry up and go!"

Scared by his tone, the three youngsters didn't delay and rushed upstairs.

Su Lun, however, walked straight out of the small building's front door.

Now that the people were rescued, his task was to buy them more time.

After waiting a few seconds, Su Lun listened intently and seemed to hear two members of the Steam Gang approaching the building.

Then, in the darkness, two deep gunshots sounded, "Puff, puff," and the bodies fell directly onto the road.

Su Lun exited the building and stood in the open space. Two guards drinking on the second-floor iron staircase noticed him, but before they could issue a warning, their heads exploded, and their bodies clattered down from the staircase.

While killing, Su Lun also noticed a gaze from a third-floor window watching him; looking up, he saw a woman with purple hair coldly observing everything.

Su Lun glanced at her and then looked away.

After killing all the Steam Gang members nearby, he calmly walked towards the restroom window and climbed back in.

He put on his coat, took off the skull mask, and appeared like a normal bar patron returning from the restroom to the main hall.

The entire rescue operation took less than eight minutes.

In the booth, he was greeted by the coquettish smile of a Playboy Bunny.

....

Su Lun did not rush to leave, but sat drinking with the woman.
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He had been somewhat worried about being suspected; now, this "walking three million" would probably take the fall for tonight's events.

But in the gang world, a few dead members were not a big deal; revenge, fires, conflicts – weren't people dying every day?

What he cared about more was why this woman was here.

And why did she recognize the original owner?

"Dam is a slave trader; why is this woman meeting with him? She's a Level S wanted criminal. Not staying hidden and risking so much for an operation must mean her reasons are not simple..."

As this thought appeared in Su Lun's mind, he guessed that the five-minute timing the purple-haired woman mentioned was almost up.

Just then, suddenly, the entire clubhouse lights dimmed, and thick smoke billowed from the ceiling.

Someone shouted, "Fire, there's a fire!"

Upstairs, something flammable had likely been ignited; the fire spread quickly, and thick smoke soon engulfed the entire "Black Baron Club".

Su Lun, watching the ceiling catch fire, slightly raised an eyebrow, thinking it was arson to destroy evidence.

With that shout, chaotic footsteps thudded upstairs, and the thousands of people in the first-floor dance floor began to frantically surge towards the exit.

Su Lun, too, calmly retreated outside, holding onto the arm of the Playboy Bunny.

At the door, he saw a group of Steam Gang men thoroughly checking each person, seemingly guessing that someone with ill intentions might be mixed in the fleeing crowd.

The Playboy Bunny, looking utterly panicked, clung to Su Lun's arm. As a "regular," he was not suspected, and they smoothly made their exit.

"Oh my god, that was terrifying. How could it catch fire so suddenly..."

"Oh, Moira, today was such a disappointment. I'll have to come and see you another time."

"See you next time, Mr. Nicholas..."

Su Lun did not linger, he hailed a steam taxi and got in.

The cab headed south down the street, coincidentally passing Nancy and the other two youngsters walking neatly along the sidewalk.

Su Lun called them into the cab, then at a street corner picked up Danny, and the group headed back towards the southern district of the city.