Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun put on his clothes and stepped out of the room.

As soon as he appeared in the corridor, he sensed a gaze observing him.

There was no hostility, only caution.

"Quite powerful, must be Lena's shadow guard..."

Su Lun sensed for a moment and, besides that gaze, there weren't any other people around.

He didn't show any odd behavior and walked directly to the door next to his, knocking on it.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Who is it?"

"Miss Lena, it's me, Zorro."

Soon after, the door opened.

Lena, now in a house dress, opened the door and, seeing it was Su Lun, smiled and said, "Oh, it's Mr. Zorro. Are you looking for my aunt? She's taking a bath."

"Yes. I just remembered something urgent and I need to speak with her..."

Su Lun nodded gently while looking at Lena, but his peripheral vision darted inside the room. He paused then added, "May I come in and wait for her?"

Although Lena felt it was a bit improper to let a strange man into her room in the middle of the night, his mention of "urgent business" made her agree, "Please come in."

Once the door was closed, the watchful gaze from outside disappeared.

...

Su Lun stepped inside, but he did not wait on the sofa.

Listening to the sound of water from the bathroom, he looked towards it and called out, "Qiantiao, when will you be done with your bath? I need to talk to you."

It was uncertain if it was by pure chance or not, but the water stopped abruptly as soon as Su Lun entered the room.

At that moment, "Qiantiao," wearing a bathrobe, also came out of the bathroom.

She looked at Su Lun, lazily asking, "What's up?"

Her demeanor showed no signs of irregularity.

Su Lun watched her seemingly languid expression and even started to doubt himself for a moment.

However, at further inspection of her chest, well-concealed by the bathrobe, he felt something was off.

A gambling addict wife wouldn't guard herself against him.

Especially the way the belt was tied... It simply wasn't Qiantiao's style!

"Um... Indeed, there's a bit of business..."

While Su Lun was still speaking, his hand did not hesitate at all; he suddenly drew his gun.

The barrel was instantly aimed at the head of the "Qiantiao" in front of him—if she made the slightest wrong move, her head would undoubtedly be blown off.

The smile on Su Lun's face turned cold instantly as he asked in a stern voice, "Who are you?"

As he spoke, his left hand gestured in the air and an invisible zombie wielding a scythe appeared by his side.

He didn't open fire right away,

because he felt that the intent of this "Fake Qiantiao" was ambiguous,

and it seemed very likely she wasn't an enemy.

Moreover, if she was below Tier 3, it didn't make a difference whether he shot immediately or not; his reaction speed was sufficient.

If she was above Tier 3, shooting immediately would also make no difference.

If by a small chance this "Fake Qiantiao" was an enemy,

escaping would be futile.

The moment he left the manor, it meant he was being targeted.

....

Su Lun thought this "Qiantiao" would offer some excuse, but unexpectedly, she just glanced indifferently and muttered to herself with raised eyebrows, "Oh... I've been discovered, huh."

Lena, who was inside the room, watched as Su Lun suddenly raised his gun. She was about to say something when she suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed onto the soft carpet.

Catching a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye, Su Lun was immediately shocked.

He was horrified to realize that he hadn't even seen how the woman opposite him made her move!

In an instant, a lethal crisis surged in his heart, and the thought of pulling the trigger vanished.

It was as if she suddenly had no weaknesses.

Even with a scythe and a firearm on hand, Su Lun felt as though he had no angle to exploit...

It seemed as if any move he'd make would be in vain.

```

This sense of powerlessness, he had felt it once before.

It was when Mr. Hei and his group encircled and attempted to kill that fifth-rank professional.

Only in the presence of those top professionals did one feel the crushing pressure of rank.

This woman...

She's very strong!

Extremely strong!

"Qiantiao" remained composed throughout, completely ignoring the threat posed by the sickle and the gun as she walked directly toward the sofa, casually calling out to Su Lun, "Sit."

From start to finish, there was no hostility felt.

She had no intention of acting either.

In that instant, his mind raced.

Su Lun's brain suddenly cast aside certain dangerous thoughts entirely, and the tension in his nerves abruptly loosened.

He no longer displayed a murderous aura and calmly put away his firearm and the living corpse.

Su Lun glanced at the woman sitting on the sofa, let out a slight sigh, and showed an expression of wry amusement, "Mr. Jing?"

Even if it wasn't, the person before him was surely another member of the Jing organization.

"Qiantiao" looked at Su Lun and smiled ambiguously without confirmation or denial, "How did you guess?"

Hearing that tone, Su Lun's gaze became complex.

He had never imagined that the one impersonating Qiantiao would turn out to be the leader of the Jing organization.

Mr. Jing...

A mirror?

So, her ability is mirror mimicry?

Although unaware if "Mr. Jing" is actually male or female, judging by her demeanor, unless she normally cross-dresses, the odds are high that she is indeed female.

Su Lun responded, "I noticed some habits differing between you and Sister Qiantiao."

"Is that so..."

Upon hearing this explanation, Mr. Jing, thinking of something, revealed a meaningful smile.

Su Lun then asked, "Why have you come here?"

He used polite language, as he was almost certain that Mr. Jing was not young.

After all, she was the teacher whom Mr. Hei referred to with respect!

He was also curious about why Mr. Jing was there and where the real Qiantiao had gone.

Mr. Jing stated directly, "The leader of the Umbrella Organization, the forensic doctor Servis Gerard himself is here. That man's cognitive abilities have awakened, making him extremely skilled at solving cases. Due to some slight clues, Qiantiao and the Reiss family are now under suspicion. So, tonight, we have to deal with this problem. Also... to retrieve something."

"Sister Qiantiao is under suspicion?"

Su Lun grasped the gravity of the situation immediately, with succinct clarity.

He thought back to the bespectacled middle-aged man who committed murder at the casino, and his expression became somber.

While it was just suspicion, for the Reiss family, it was nothing short of a catastrophe.

This was a major incident; a fifth-rank professional had died.

Gauging by the Black Tower's attitude toward the great families of the inner city, a slight "suspicion" was enough to annihilate a clan.

Moreover, if Qiantiao were truly exposed, it would also mean his own exposure was imminent.

If not for the composed figure of the big shot sitting before him, upon hearing this news, Su Lun knew he would likely be planning his escape by now.

Mr. Jing picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, "You'll find out soon enough. It's not too troublesome."

....

Reassured by Mr. Jing's relaxed tone, Su Lun had just breathed a sigh of relief.

But at that moment, a sudden emergency occurred!

He felt a ring on his finger starting to heat up, and his face turned pale.

This was a special signal he had with Sabina; ordinary information would be transmitted through other means, but if the Alchemy Ring grew hot, it indicated utmost urgency.

Su Lun glanced at Mr. Jing, who was calmly sipping tea, and spoke very quickly, "I have inside information. It seems the people from the Umbrella Organization are also coming for me."

Hearing this, Mr. Jing continued to sip her tea unhurriedly, as if she had expected this, and casually remarked, "Mm. We've been followed since leaving the estate."

"..."

Su Lun thought to himself that it was indeed so, but said nothing more.

At that moment, Lena, who had collapsed on the ground, slowly opened her eyes.

She appeared to have completely forgotten the events prior to losing consciousness and asked with sheer bewilderment, "What... What happened to me?"

```

Su Lun, swift and agile, dashed over and courteously helped her up, "You must be overworked recently; you just fainted."

Then this Miss Lena really believed she had just passed out, "Oh, I indeed haven't had much sleep lately."

She muttered with a furrowed brow, stood up without thinking much of it, and politely responded, "Thank you. How embarrassing."

Su Lun nodded, acknowledging her words.

After a pause, Lena looked at Su Lun and asked, "By the way, Mr. Zoro, I remember you came looking for my aunt because you had some urgent matter, didn't you?"

Upon hearing this, Su Lun's expression became slightly odd, "This..."

...

The three people in the room glanced at each other, the atmosphere suddenly turning odd.

He had initially suspected "Fake Qiantiao" of looking for trouble.

Now, the tables had turned, although he was sure this was a fake, it was almost identical to the real one.

And it would've been fine not knowing who this "Fake Qiantiao" was,

but now that he knew it was the leader of the Jing organization, he dared not act rashly.

Unexpectedly, "Qiantiao" patted the spot next to her and boldly said, "Zoro, come sit here. Help me dry my hair..."

Hearing this, Su Lun went over and quickly got into character.

His mentality was excellent.

If the boss dared to call, he dared to sit.

He plunked down next to "Qiantiao," their closeness just like before.

After all, it seemed like something was going to happen tonight.

It was safer to stay close to the big boss.

He also guessed that Mr. Jing was probably there to provide an alibi for Sister Qiantiao.

....

Su Lun casually found an excuse to muddle through the previous incident.

The three of them chatted desultorily when suddenly, a series of urgent knocks came from the door.

"Miss, something terrible has happened!"

Upon hearing this, Lena immediately went to open the door.

At that moment, an elderly butler holding a box said anxiously, "Someone just delivered Miss Julia's head."

"What?!"

Lena's complexion turned pale instantly upon hearing this.

She looked at the bloodstained box in the butler's hands, trembling all over, and for a moment was at a loss, "This... she..."

"This old butler is indeed a third-tier professional. The Reiss family still has some resources."

Su Lun narrowed his eyes slightly, observing the imposing butler, and guessed he must be the expert who had been secretly protecting Lena outside the room.

And Julia...

Seemed to be the blonde girl at the party earlier who wanted to help Lena?

It was unexpected that she had been killed.

The butler continued, "Earlier, I heard noises of a fight from the 'Blue Moon Hotel.' Julia Miss's guards didn't last long; the attackers must have had a third-tier professional among them! It might be the people from the Oliver family. They were likely targeting you, Miss. I think we need to leave the camp immediately..."

Before he could finish, the butler suddenly seemed to notice something, "Someone is coming!"

With a shout, he vanished from the spot.

Immediately afterward, a thunderous voice sounded from outside the hotel, "Humph! This is Reiss family property, who are you people!"

....

Su Lun also heard the commotion outside; it seemed there were quite a few people approaching.

They first visited Julia's place, probably looking for accomplices?

Now with a head delivered, they clearly wanted "Qiantiao" to take action and reveal herself in retaliation.

Once a third-tier expert arrived, she would have nowhere to hide.

Su Lun now understood why Mr. Jing had come here tonight.

Besides protecting Lena, it was more important to use this third-tier elderly professional to block the organization's third-tier experts.

Su Lun and the others quickly descended the stairs and saw the old butler and several guards confronting a group of people in trench coats.

At the front was a middle-aged man wearing glasses.

This man was naturally the leader of the Umbrella organization, the "forensic doctor" Servis Gerard!

This guy was now clad in a linen suit stained with fresh blood, his face adorned with a hint of manic pleasure, as if he had just savored a bloody banquet.

Su Lun saw a smoldering violence in this guy's eyes that was hard to suppress.

He wondered if the man had come to deliver his own head or... Did he simply have a murderous intent and just wanted to kill for the sake of it?

Su Lun felt this was likely and glanced again at the shadows of the buildings in the distance only to discover several figures with concealed auras. Judging from the flickering elemental barriers, it was clear they were fourth-order professionals. They had encircled the entire hotel in a pincer movement.

As soon as "Qiantiao" showed up, he didn't hesitate to unleash his disguised equipment and drew his blade with a backhand slash.

The sharp "clank" of the unsheathed sword, like a Pavlovian response, instantly tensed up the group opposite him.

The bespectacled middle-aged man clearly did not dare to underestimate his opponent, and his face changed dramatically, "swoosh" donning a black and white[Clown Mask]that smiled menacingly.

As soon as the mask was on, the aura of the "forensic doctor" Servis Gerard shifted drastically, instantly suppressing the violence within him.

Indifferent, as if he were not human.

"Huh... This clown mask can suppress abnormal psychic states?"

Su Lun speculated in his mind, not daring to make any appraisal.

Watching "Qiantiao" make a move, he too drew his gun, playing the role of the Bounty Hunter Zorro.

Although his gaze did not stray, he was curious in his heart - how could this "Mr. Jing" even perfectly mimic Qiantiao's alchemical enhancements?

And yet, her aura was not exceptionally strong, roughly at the level of a second-order.

Once blades and guns were drawn, both sides launched into battle without further ado.

....

The people from the Umbrella organization did not reveal their identities, probably thinking that in case a mistake was made, they could pass off the incident as a bandit attack.

After all, some clues were only speculation.

Moreover, the Umbrella organization was not the Black Tower; for such an enforcement agency to attack a top family in the inner city, they still needed a plausible excuse.

The bodyguards brought by Miss Lena were not weak. Besides the third-order elder, there were also two second-order professionals, making a total of twenty to thirty elite men in the hotel.

They held their ground against the group in trench coats for the time being.

Because... none of the fourth-order professionals had made a move.

"So, they're just suspecting and testing, huh..."

Seeing this, Su Lun muttered to himself.

His persona was a gunman, so he didn't need to engage in close combat. He just huddled by Lena's side, occasionally firing from a distance.

In the midst of battle, the third-order butler was tied up by the "forensic doctor" Servis Gerard with the clown mask.

In the battlefield, Qiantiao was the target of focused attention.

Luckily, her slicing with four arms was impermeable, and she managed to hold her ground for the time being...

Su Lun's gaze flickered over, and he couldn't help but marvel again - this "Qiantiao" couldn't be more real.

The style of the blade, the aura, the fighting manner – all were exactly like the real Qiantiao!

The fight was fierce.

The surrounding buildings collapsed in droves.

Casualties appeared.

After all, the few could not withstand the many; "Qiantiao," facing the concentrated attention of several second-order professionals, began to show signs of defeat.

The people from the Umbrella organization were just suspicious, and now, seeing Qiantiao's all-out fight revealing only second-order level ability, they couldn't help but feel perplexed.

In the current situation, there was absolutely no need to feign strength.

They had planned to intensify their probing,

But unexpectedly, at this moment, a huge commotion erupted from the direction of Storm Manor.

"Boom boom boom~"

"Boom boom boom~"

"..."

The intensity of the spell's fluctuation was alarmingly exaggerated, decidedly not something a third-order professional could produce.

Everyone immediately understood – someone had launched an attack on Princess Theresa's residence!

Even from a great distance, several cloaked figures were seen charging towards Storm Manor with fierce attacks, and behind one of them, the phantom projection of the Rakshasa Woman was strikingly conspicuous.

"Not good!"

Hearing the commotion, members of the Umbrella organization, along with the lurking fourth-order experts, all turned pale.

How could they not realize that the enemy, taking advantage of the weakened defense, had actually gone to assassinate the princess?

They could no longer concern themselves with the "minor scuffle" here; in an instant, the group vanished from the scene.