Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun watched as the short-haired woman quietly made her way towards the back storage room of the clubhouse, and he followed her discreetly with a glass of wine in his hand.

Su Lun's skills in disguise were anything but ordinary; his footsteps were light and his eyes gave off the perfect illusion of inebriation. As he walked, under the dim lights, he also covertly poured a colorless, odorless potion into the wine glass, resembling a sleazy man up to no good.

As the short-haired woman was about to quickly enter the storage room, Su Lun pretended to be overwhelmed by alcohol and staggered into her.

This collision conveniently splashed the wine from his glass onto the short-haired woman's nun's habit.

The habit was black, so the wetness did not show much, but the large damp patch clinging to her body made it uncomfortable, and the smell of alcohol pervaded.

Su Lun steadied himself and glanced at the short-haired woman, seemingly attracted to her beauty, and repeatedly apologized, "Oh, sorry, miss, I bumped into you."

Though his words were gentlemanly, his hand had already reached for her slender waist, asking closely, "Care to join me for a drink?"

"..."

A hint of disgust flashed quickly in Amelia's eyes.

A fleeting moment of doubt crossed her mind.

She had been so careful to avoid everyone; where did this man come from?

She really had no mood for such low-level flirtation, especially that lecherous gaze, which was utterly disgusting.

But as a disguised waitress at the clubhouse, she couldn't refuse.

A fleeting different expression crossed her eyes, she turned to face this guest, and put on a professional smile, "Sorry, guest, I need to go get drinks for a table. Could you wait for me at your seat? I'll come find you shortly."

Both were dramatically playing their parts.

Su Lun knew this woman was looking for a chance to escape, and he also knew he could forcibly keep her here, but that would be dull.

He teasingly asked, "What's your name, Miss?"

Amelia, not wanting to linger further, casually mentioned a fake name, throwing a look, "Alice."

Su Lun reciprocated with a flirty wink, "Then Miss Alice, don't make me wait too long~"

"Alright then."

Amelia nodded with a gleaming smile.

As soon as she turned her head back, she rolled her eyes in disgust and quickly left.

....

When Su Lun had gotten close to this short-haired woman, it looked like he was hitting on her, but he was actually trying to confirm something.

He noticed that this woman had a very simple scent on her, only a light natural body odor, and no smell of hallucinogens that should've been in the air of the clubhouse.

This was clearly the result of using a not very high-level "scent removal potion," which had eliminated other odors.

This careful act, however, revealed other defects.

Anyone truly observing her could immediately tell she wasn't one of the clubhouse staff.

Moreover, as soon as this woman entered the clubhouse, that person who had been waiting in the private room, a fourth-tier professional, had come out, surely having noticed something.

The short-haired woman's infiltration techniques were quite professional, but they had still been detected. This meant that, barring some rare sensory methods, it was likely that some scent had marked her.

Su Lun thought if it were him, important areas like the basement would surely be guarded.

Without needing something extraordinarily special, merely setting up a few hard-to-remove, unique scents in the air would suffice.

Once someone had come across it, they'd be identified within a certain range, and it would be discreet.

Su Lun had been fooled a few times by scents in the past, so he was particularly sensitive to them.

Besides, he had just gathered some information from Sabrina and learned that this clubhouse was a territory of the "Razor Gang."

The leader of this gang was Lawrence Hilby, known as the 'Raging Bear', a fourth-tier professional with a talent "C-010-Battle Bear."

This talent not only enhanced his close combat abilities but, crucially, included a heightened sense of smell—about three hundred times that of a normal human.

Catching someone this important wouldn't be entrusted to just anyone; it was likely that the fourth-tier professional upstairs was Lawrence.

All this further confirmed his judgments.

That is why Su Lun had poured a "scent interference potion" into the drink, secretly lending a small hand.

...

"But this woman is now going to the wine cellar, just about to run into trouble."

Su Lun's brow slightly furrowed as he sensed the short-haired woman secretly making her way to the wine cellar, just like before.

It was unfortunate her accomplice, the Old Cowboy, wasn't nearby.

If he didn't intervene, this woman would surely be caught.

Because there was someone waiting in ambush in the wine cellar.

Thinking this, Su Lun decided to help all the way.

After all, this woman was trying to save someone.

Her first visit might have been due to some professional obligation.

But this second visit, it truly seemed a good-hearted effort.

Although "good people get good rewards" sounds clichéd, now that he had stumbled upon the situation, he didn't want to see a good person suffer a bad fate.

Su Lun slightly tweaked his lips and got up to walk over.

...

Amelia thought she had been cautious enough, avoiding everyone.

She also noticed that the trafficker had arranged hardly any guards along the way, to keep things secret.

That facilitated her sneaking in again.

Except for the encounter with that sleazy man, everything was going according to plan.

Amelia, feeling rather lucky, was thinking about how many she could save when she suddenly reached the entrance to the wine cellar and turned a corner.

At that moment, her view unexpectedly revealed a middle-aged man in a suit, with sleek, slicked-back hair and a large tattoo on his neck, sitting on a wine barrel like a statue, with barely a breath revealed; yet his eyes coldly watched this outsider who had suddenly burst into the cellar.

Just at that glance, a wave of mortal fear engulfed her.

Amelia inwardly cursed, a chill running down her spine.

As a detective, how could she not recognize this was none other than Lawrence, the leader of the Razor Gang?

She hadn't sensed him at all because he was a fourth-tier professional notorious for his killings.

Now she was in trouble!

His presence here meant he surely noticed that someone was missing from his secret room.

Although Amelia still appeared calm, her heart had sunk to the depths.

If caught, her true identity would inevitably be exposed eventually.

I'm doomed!

Lawrence looked at her dressed as a nun and sniffed, seeming to confirm that she had not been to the secret room, and only then did the murderous intent in his eyes recede.

But he still had his doubts.

He then spoke with dissatisfaction, "Why aren't you serving guests in the front hall? What are you doing in the wine cellar?"

Being a club girl was a job with high turnover, and naturally, a mob boss like him couldn't possibly recognize every girl in the club.

"I... I'm new here..."

Amelia, with a touch of nervousness from the sudden encounter with the mob boss, pretended perfectly that she was new and unfamiliar with the way.

But just at that moment, a drunk was already nearby, impatiently shouting, "Miss Alice, where's the wine you got for me? Oh, hurry up, come drink with me."

Turning her head, she saw it was the greasy man she had encountered earlier.

Oh, this guy couldn't have come at a better time!

Never had Amelia thought this greasy man could be of such great use.

She quickly responded, "Sorry sir, I'll be right there!"

She then turned to Lawrence, her eyes shimmering with a pleading light.

In a high-end club, neglecting a guest was a serious offense.

Since she wasn't the person he was looking for, Lawrence waved his hand, signaling that she could go.

Amelia, relieved, bowed and then hurried away with quick steps.

As she turned around, the inexplicable pressure of treading on the line of death finally dispersed.

"Thank goodness I wasn't discovered. Oh, why was Lawrence waiting here..."

Amelia still felt a bit of smug satisfaction in her heart, grateful for her luck.

Though she found the greasy man disgusting, she had no choice but to greet him.

At that moment, Su Lun, with a smirk that was not quite a smile, was already waiting there.

Seeing her approach, he unapologetically wrapped his arms around the little nun, like a lustful drunk, and spoke with a breath reeking of alcohol, "Oh, Miss Alice, where have you been..."

Seeing the woman seemingly still lucky, Su Lun decided to give her a good lesson to remember.

His large hands took liberties without any courtesy.

Olimiya was not a club girl, and after enduring the disgust and casually dealing with him for a while, she finally found a chance and stealthily slipped out of the club.

...

Once outside the club, Amelia did not hurry away.

Back in her own clothes, the more she thought about it, the more she felt a surge of anger accumulating in her chest that wouldn't dissipate.

She found a spot where she could see the entrance to the club and bitterly recalled something, muttering to herself, "Ah... that damned greasy man! No, I must go and teach him a lesson later, show him what's what, otherwise I can't swallow this anger!"

But before anyone came, an old cowboy with a darkened face appeared in her sight.

Seeing him, Amelia's face turned uneasy, "Old man, what... what are you doing here?"

The old cowboy replied gruffly, "You still have the nerve to ask how I got here? Didn't you go back? Why did you run over here again?"

With three rapid questions, Amelia felt guilty, knowing she couldn't deceive him, and could only say, "Those girls are innocent. I just thought if there was a chance to rescue a few more, I'd come..."

But before she could finish her sentence, the Old Cowboy sternly shouted, "Do you realize you almost caused a major disaster just now!"

"..."

Amelia thought it was because the old man had found out about her earlier encounter with Lawrence and didn't talk back.

After all, it was a minor error on her part.

In her heart, she still defended herself, "But after all, I was lucky and made it through without harm."

The Old Cowboy sighed slightly, then said, "I've told you, this matter isn't as simple as you think..."

Amelia's sense of justice made her feel she was right in her actions, and she interrupted coquettishly, "Alright, alright~ You're still here, old man. If I had been caught, you could have judged those damn human traffickers yourself."

The Old Cowboy, seeing that Amelia hadn't grasped the severity of the situation, said sharply, "I can't clean up this mess this time! Don't you know there were several troublesome 'big shots' at the club today?"

He paused, and very rarely lost his temper, "Moreover, if someone hadn't saved you just now, you might have already been dead by the time I arrived!"

Seeing the Old Cowboy's unusually serious face, Amelia finally dropped her casual demeanor, asking in confusion, "Someone saved me just now?"

The Old Cowboy's eyes flashed with a grave expression as he said, "I arrived when you were drinking, but I dare not show myself because of that person."

Hearing this, Amelia rolled her eyes, so her act had been witnessed after all?

"Ah... old man, you saw how embarrassed I was, yet you didn't come to help me?"

Speaking of which, she inwardly complained weakly: That disgusting greasy man, touching me all over... just thinking about it makes me so angry!!!

"Help you?"

The Old Cowboy, knowing she still hadn't realized the gravity of the situation, snorted coldly, "If that person hadn't helped you, do you think you'd still be able to stand here and talk to me?"

He paused for a moment, then countered, "You don't think he was taking advantage of you, do you?"

Thinking of that sleazy touch, Amelia asked resentfully, "Wasn't he?"

The Old Cowboy gave her a look, then countered, "Didn't you notice any scent on you?"

"What scent? No..."

Amelia replied, sniffing her arm. She only smelled a faint aroma of alcohol and tobacco, nothing unusual.

Those were the scents of the greasy man.

She continued, "Are you talking about this smell of alcohol? Oh, the greasy man doused me with alcohol earlier. Disgusting guy!"

"Ah..."

The Old Cowboy shook his head slightly, sighing as clearly, the girl still didn't understand.

He directly said, "It's because there's no smell—that's the problem. Don't you realize? It's a very advanced 'scent interference potion', designed to disrupt the scent detection methods of those with keen olfactory professions!"

"Ah?"

Enlightened, Amelia finally realized something, "You mean... there was an interference potion in that drink?"

She thought again, why would the greasy man put an interference potion in the drink?

And that was before she attempted the rescue?

In an instant, a flash of insight struck her, and she felt like she had uncovered the truth.

But Amelia still couldn't believe that the greasy man would be so kind-hearted.

The Old Cowboy's eyes revealed a thoughtful look. He nodded, then added, "I hadn't realized how you were exposed before. But seeing this 'interference potion', I immediately understood—there must be some special scent or mark in that basement. If that person hadn't covered for you, you'd have been exposed right then and there!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Amelia and continued, "Otherwise, do you think your amateur scent elimination method could have deceived high-ranking professionals?"

"Ah... this...???"

Only now did Amelia understand why she had 'coincidentally' encountered the "Raging Bear" Lawrence in the wine cellar.

So that was it!

A shiver of fear ran through her heart.

But what shocked her even more was that the greasy man had seen through everything?

My God, that's too terrifying.

How did he know there were scent marks in the basement?

And knew that I was going to rescue someone?

Thinking about it now, meeting Lawrence in the wine cellar then having that man come shouting wasn't just a coincidence, was it?

But remembering the lecherous look, Amelia still couldn't believe that such a greasy man could be a cunning and strategic mastermind.

She timidly said, "Old Cowboy, could you have been wrong?"

"Hmph! Wrong?"

The Old Cowboy snorted coldly, his expression growing more serious.

Recalling the terrifying soul he had sensed earlier and the results of the divination, he felt that he must give his assistant a good lesson today, then asked, "What do you think of 'Raging Bear' Lawrence's strength?"

Amelia said, "Very strong."

Old Cowboy recalled the chilling sensation he felt when he first encountered that man and said lightly, "That guy is a hundred times more dangerous than Lawrence!"

Hearing this, Amelia clearly didn't believe it and argued, "How is that possible! That greasy man is just a first-level doctor. The smell of disinfectant on him reminds me of the corpses in the dissection room, I couldn't have misjudged it."

You say he is smart, saw through everything, and used "interference potions," I accept that.

But you say that guy is a top fighter?

Pfft!

Impossible!

Moreover, what kind of master acts so sleazily?

Taking advantage whenever he gets the chance?

No matter what, he's just a disgusting greasy man!

The Old Cowboy knew his assistant too well and said irritably, "Do you still think that man was lecherous, just taking advantage of you?"

Amelia said, "Isn't that the case?"

The Old Cowboy irritably said, "That's because his disguise is much smarter than yours! Think about it. Even Lawrence noticed something was off. If he hadn't acted urgent and lecherous, could he have fooled everyone, including you?"

"Ah, this..."

Hearing this, Amelia finally lost her temper.

If it really was a disguise, then his portrayal of a greasy man was flawless.

That lecherous appearance...

Ah... My God!

No matter how you look at it, he's definitely a LSP!

The Old Cowboy added solemnly, "He wanted to teach you a lesson! That's why he left some tobacco scent on you. He was afraid you were too dense to understand what went wrong today!"

Saying this, he looked at the spot Amelia had chosen to squat and said disdainfully, "Hmph, you, thinking of squatting here to beat him up?"

"..."

Amelia, chastened, sulked.

Although she was still somewhat unconvinced, she knew she was wrong.

She then asked, "But Old Cowboy, since you knew I was exposed, didn't you think of rescuing me? That guy you described as so formidable, what if he's also a big villain?"

"You girl always causing me trouble!"

The Old Cowboy looked at the girl he had raised, his eyes ultimately filled with indulgence, and he sighed, "I did think of a way. It should be here any minute."

Amelia playfully shrugged her shoulders.

Saying this, the old man guessed her thoughts and added, "You still think in your heart that he intentionally took advantage of you, huh? Let me be blunt, I've judged him already. His 'heart'... is lighter than a 'feather'!"

"Lighter than a feather?"

Hearing this, Amelia's expression froze, showing great surprise.

Her own old man's verdict of sin was never wrong; if he said someone was a villain, they were definitely a villain.

He's not?

He's actually a good person?

...

Su Lun had been in the club for a while and was ready to go out for a walk.

Knowing that the club was one of Augustus's outposts, perhaps he might find some other clues in the adjacent areas.

He walked onto the street as the cold rain began to fall.

In this season, the rain in Old Lington was ceaseless.

Looking up, the dim sky occasionally revealed the moon's true face.

The moonlight wrapped in a faint tinge of blood.

This phenomenon had been ongoing for several days now.

The newspapers claimed it was a natural phenomenon due to air pollution, but the analysis revealed nothing special.

As soon as Su Lun stepped out, two little flower girls surrounded him, "Sir, would you like to buy a flower?"

Su Lun smiled and bought two flowers to hold in his hand.

He pondered the incidents he had encountered today, his mood inexplicably lackluster.

Walking on, he turned into a small alley.

He initially wanted to find a quiet corner to squat for a while.

But unexpectedly, under the awning of a neon-lit house, he saw two beggars, possibly siblings, around seven or eight years old, their eyes dull and colorless.

Due to the rain, there were few passersby, and the beggars' bowl was empty.

Looking at their pallid faces, Su Lun thought for a moment, took out a few copper coins from his pocket, and tossed them into the bowl.

Then glancing at their rain-soaked, pale feet, he took out a blanket, tore it in two with a swish, and threw it over the shivering siblings.

Like a breath, an act of second nature, Su Lun didn't linger and walked on.

Meanwhile.

In the distance, two gazes were attentively focused on everything happening at the alley's entrance.

Amelia watched Su Lun's actions, her expression softening considerably, yet she asked in confusion, "Old Cowboy, that guy gave the beggar a blanket out of kindness, but why did he tear it? Wouldn't that make it drafty?"

The Old Cowboy shook his head, his tone laden with deep meaning, "He is someone who has truly seen the suffering of the lower classes."

Amelia turned her head, puzzled, "Huh?"

The Old Cowboy explained, "The beggars are controlled by the gangs. That blanket was of good quality; if it hadn't been torn, it would likely have ended up in a pawnshop tomorrow. Within the beggars, it's survival of the fittest, those two little beggars wouldn't be able to keep a good blanket."

Listening, Amelia murmured, "A world so tragic and desperate..."

The Old Cowboy shook his head, remaining silent.

Suddenly, he noticed something and said, "The assassin has arrived."

...

Su Lun meandered aimlessly through the streets.

He had also noticed those two gazes since he had walked out of the club, but he paid them no mind.

Pedestrians passing by—a neither friend nor foe, nothing worth concern.

Just as he was curious about the identities of those two individuals, they were curious about him.

However, what slightly puzzled Su Lun was, even after observing for a while, they still hadn't left?

They must have guessed some of the tricks he had used earlier.

But since they hadn't approached to express thanks and hadn't left either, what did they mean by that?

Intuition told Su Lun that something else was going to happen tonight, so he bided his time.

Soon, he saw the result.

At that moment, a chubby, middle-aged man, surrounded by a group of obviously bodyguard-suited men, walked out of a high-end club.

Su Lun glanced at the aristocratic emblem on a steam limousine parked by the road, which seemed to belong to an earl.

This was already high nobility.

However, just then, Su Lun's pupils suddenly narrowed, "What is that?!"

In his perception, a very cold spiritual body appeared, chilling the entire street abruptly as it emerged.

The moisture in the air suddenly turned into snowflakes, and as it passed, the water puddles on the ground instantly froze into frosty ice.

"A soul? No! It seems like a special form of energy..."

Su Lun's expression turned severe.

His right eye couldn't see it, but within the All-knowing Eye of his left eye, he saw a cluster of cold white air resembling a soul.

The strange phenomenon suddenly appeared, and it was clear that the people on the street had not seen it.

But those few bodyguards had already noticed the abrupt drop in temperature and gathered around the chubby earl, "Protect the Duke!"

However, one fourth-tier guard and several second and third-tier professionals had not yet managed to react when the invisible cold air swept over them, instantly turning them into ice sculptures.

From afar, several outer bodyguards quickly fired at that cluster of cold air with a flurry of alchemical bullets, but none of them managed to harm the cloud of white mist.

In just a brief moment, that earl along with his bodyguards were instantly killed.

Su Lun immediately understood as well, "This is a political assassination!"

Recently, the political situation in Ruling had been severely shaken, and it was not uncommon for high-ranking nobles and members of Parliament in Old Lington to be killed.

As for the Earl who was assassinated on the street, it was very likely the work of opposing politicians.

After the gunshot, the street burst into chaos, and people from various clubs rushed out like mad upon hearing the noise.

Seeing those lifelike ice sculptures, the people panicked and fled in all directions.

Seeing the eerie methods of freezing people, Su Lun's mind flickered with some intelligence he knew, sparking an incredible thought, "Cold Demon ghost? Rafael's neural mechanical technology?"

Dr. Banks was one of the core backbones of Duke Rafael's neural mechanical technology in Old Lington, and he had previously spoken of some of Duke's secret plans. That ambitious Duke was not only using this technology to create super-mechanical warriors, but he also had many other top-secret projects.

One such extraordinary project was to push human souls out to create ghost warriors—the Cold Demon Ghost Project!

If "super-mechanical warriors" are a physical level of combat power, very limited; then this "Cold Demon Ghost" is a spell-based application of technology, very bizarre, aimed to slaughter high-ranking professionals.

Dr. Banks wasn't responsible for this part of the project, so he didn't know much about it.

But now it seemed... Duke Rafael's secret project had succeeded!

Seeing the mass that obviously fluctuated with soul energy killing people with cold air, Su Lun immediately thought of this technology.

"This icy ghost exists in a special state beyond solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Unless it encounters a profession skilled in dominating aura, it's difficult to restrain. Moreover, once it gathers into legions, it poses a fatal threat even to top professionals..."

Thinking this, a gleam shone brightly in Su Lun's eyes.

He had not intended to trouble himself with that Old Cowboy and the short-haired woman, but seeing this, he felt the matter might be directly related to those two!

....

On the street, the Old Cowboy and Amelia also witnessed this eerie scene of invisible cold-air killing first-hand.

The Old Cowboy's eyes were solemn as he murmured, "I didn't expect the renowned 'Cold Demon' to come."

Amelia blinked and asked, "Is it that Assassin whose rank in the Assassin Guild has risen rapidly to the top one hundred lately?"

The Old Cowboy, deep in thought, nodded, "Mhm."

The unexpected events tonight were numerous, forcing him to wonder if something special was afoot.

Amelia also pondered for a moment, then turned to glance at the old man, another question on her face, "Although it's that Assassin who came, why so serious, old man? Since you judged the person, he obviously deserved to die."

"I'm not saying that Count Bronny didn't deserve to die. But..."

The Old Cowboy shook his head, his gaze becoming more solemn, and continued, "I had always thought the 'Cold Demon' was an Assassin with a special talent. But that soul fluctuation just now was very unusual... It seemed to be in agony."

Amelia frowned upon hearing this, "Ah?"

The Old Cowboy himself did not seem to understand either, shaking his head again.

Then, he came to another thought, his expression turning bitter, "We've got trouble."

Amelia, unsure what he meant by this mysterious statement, instinctively moved her hand to the flintlock at her waist, "What do you mean?"

The Old Cowboy, having realized something, shook his head with a mix of laughter and sorrow, "Girl, make sure you don't act rashly in a bit."

Before Amelia could understand the meaning of his words,

the Old Cowboy suddenly turned his head toward the person who had appeared behind him out of nowhere.

The gleam in the old man's eyes faded instantly, turning to a sly submissive demeanor, and he immediately confessed, "Sir, please don't misunderstand! I did spread the news, but I truly don't know the 'Cold Demon'!"

Amelia looked at the man who had appeared behind them—wasn't it the sleazy man from the club earlier?