Mechanical Alchemist

For the average person, Curse Magic is simply "the devil's art."

But for an alchemist with a certain amount of knowledge, any spell can be traced back to its origins.

"Curse Magic... Is it essentially something like a parasitic nature? It must have been contracted either through breathing or maybe contact with the skin with that green blood of the crows..."

Su Lun's mind automatically summoned relevant knowledge.

He also guessed the process by which he had been tricked.

The red-eyed crows from earlier were used not only for tailing, but more importantly, as a medium for that 'Plague Doctor' Sergei to perform Curse Magic. Those crows, when hit by bullets, sprayed their green blood everywhere; it was unavoidable. Or perhaps, with or without being hit, the crows were themselves a source of the plague.

Su Lun frowned as he looked at his attribute panel.

At that moment, it had a new negative status indication: [Plague Crow Blood Curse], losing 1% blood essence every minute, and generating green-blooded plague crows;

The crow that he had spat out of his mouth earlier was a deformed creature spawned by the Curse Magic using his own blood and flesh.

Being afflicted by this curse was like having a continuous depleting health state in a game.

Losing 1% blood essence every minute didn't mean that one would die when it reached 100%, but actually, when it dropped to around 30%, one would fall into a weakened state. At most 60%, one's life would be in danger.

Well, it also dealt quite a blow mentally.

Suddenly spitting out a live, furry creature from one's mouth, as could happen with this kind of curse, would scare an ordinary person half to death, not to mention the level of injury.

Now, Su Lun found even swallowing saliva strange, as if there was something foreign in his throat that he could neither swallow nor spit out.

Thinking this, he injected himself with a dose of Healing Medicine.

The loss of blood essence slowed down, but it didn't address the root of the problem.

If he continued to inject Healing Medicine, its effectiveness would decrease over time, and his body couldn't handle it.

To solve the problem completely, he needed to find the correct way to lift the curse; otherwise, he would be drained of life.

.....

At that moment, a red-eyed crow landed on the handlebar of the motorcycle and began to speak in human language, "Kid, you've been cursed by me. I'll give you a chance to live..."

But before the crow could finish, Su Lun, seemingly uninterested in listening further, drew his gun and turned it into a cloud of green mist, feathers flying everywhere.

A chance to live?

I trust you for shit.

After making such a fuss in the inner city, killing more than a dozen members of the umbrella organization, Su Lun harbored no illusions of surviving if captured.

Even if he wanted to live, it definitely wasn't going to be by relying on this guy.

He could only depend on himself.

Without a doubt, whatever the crow was going to say next was either an offer to surrender or an attempt to buy time...

Su Lun wasn't unaware that this was also a tactic of that 'Plague Doctor' Sergei. The crows themselves had no real combat ability. Now that the "curse" had been cast, all they could do was bluster.

But it also revealed something – that Sergei's real body was still some distance away. Otherwise, if his body was here, there would be no need for a crow to deliver messages.

Sergei might indeed be strong, but no matter how powerful, he cannot kill from afar. Relying on a few crows to gain an advantage? How could that be possible?!

Su Lun had no intention of entertaining this guy.

Then another crow flew over, threatening, "You're looking for death! I am now..."

But before it could finish talking, it too was blasted to bits with a gunshot.

This action thoroughly enraged the flock of crows, and at this moment, the hundreds of crows actually formed a formation, charging towards Su Lun's motorbike. The damage wasn't significant, but the interference was enough to obstruct his view, and his riding speed increasingly slowed.

"Ha... truly trying to buy time."

Su Lun watched the crows that were chasing after him grow in number and decided not to run anymore. The buildings in the neighborhood provided cover for the crows, making it inconvenient to shoot, so he simply drove the motorbike to an open area.

Once he reached the open area, the flock of crows instantly gathered above, their aggressive demeanor suggesting they wanted to peck at Su Lun's eyes and block his sight.

Su Lun applied the brakes, the front of the motorbike swung around, and he suddenly came to a stop. Then he extended his hands and gestured as if grabbing at the void, pulling out two puppets from thin air and unabashedly spraying phosphorus fire into the sky!

If I can't handle a second-rank professional, should I be stymied by a few mere feathered beasts?

The flames caught the crows by surprise, and in an instant, the majority of the several hundred crows were burned to death, their bodies falling like rain and hitting the ground with a patter, filling the air with the charred scent of roast meat.

The surviving crows were too far away, cawing in shock and fear as they scattered in all directions.

But Su Lun was not about to show them any mercy, drawing both guns at once.

As a "firearm expert," he might not be able to kill a professional with certainty, but shooting these dumb birds was as simple as one bullet per bird, even several with one shot.

With just a few shots, the surviving two or three-tenths of the crows burst into puffs of blood in the sky.

In the blink of an eye, only a few of the several hundred crows were left, and they fled in panic. Then one could hear a crow flying while furiously screeching, "Damn it, kid, I'll shred you into pieces..."

Su Lun listened to these threats with an expressionless face. He didn't even bother to aim but raised his hand toward the direction of the sound and pulled the trigger. With one shot, he took it down.

It's no wonder "Plague Doctor" Sergei was breaking down and cursing. Su Lun's actions had cost him dearly.

These "Green Blood Crows" were not ordinary crows. To train them to their current state required a considerable amount of money, effort, and time.

For every crow killed, it was like plucking a hair from his "Mediterranean" bald patch; each one plucked, each one painful.

Moreover, the three that could talk were especially precious!

....

Having dealt with the situation in such a manner, Su Lun didn't pay attention to the crows that were still keeping their distance and once again sped towards Green Street on his motorbike.

He knew that now his whereabouts were exposed and that he could be ambushed at any moment.

Also, there was a second-rank professional skilled in tracking, and that was the most troublesome part.

"I must figure out a way to take out that Sergei first, otherwise, even if I make it back to Green Street, I won't be able to escape..."

Riding the bike, a hint of coldness surfaced in Su Lun's eyes.

To take out a second-rank professional, the method he felt most confident in was using the zombies and the scythe from the Green Street's basement.

However, "Plague Doctor" Sergei's abilities were very peculiar. It was said he had a special kind of Curse Magic which allowed him to use crows to take the damage in his place, rendering him unafraid of physical damage such as knives and guns. There were rumors in the underworld that he could "resurrect" after being killed.

Su Lun wasn't sure what that ability was, but the fact that it was rumored meant Sergei certainly had something similar, not to be underestimated.

After all, a scythe deals physical damage; if it didn't kill him, then Su Lun felt that his situation would be very dire.

"Thousand Stripes is on Norton Street... no, aside from the smoker, there must be other moles in the Crucifix Syndicate."

Su Lun trusted Thousand Stripes but he knew that Thousand Stripes couldn't protect him.

One Green Street gang he could handle, but behind them was the Inner City Umbrella Organization.

Moreover, the worst situation would be if he went to Norton Street and failed to find someone right away, only to have other moles like smokers come instead.

As for the "communicator," Su Lun was even more afraid to use it now.

The communicators of regular gang members had a range of only a few kilometers and were all-channel receivers, with very low confidentiality.

If he spoke, the Umbrella Organization's hidden wires in the outer city would get the message immediately, which would also reveal his approximate location.

Simply shouting "Yanguai is the mole" doesn't mean much.

First, there's no evidence.

Second, it does more harm than good to his escape.

What might come his way is not help, but an assassin.

And then... the only formidable individual he knew seemed to be Mr. Hei.

Although this top professional, who was elusive as a ghost, did not fear the organization, he had no obligation to help.

"Looks like I have to use that method..."

As the thought flickered and disappeared, Su Lun frowned slightly, murmuring to himself.

....

The crow flock was scattered, but Su Lun knew that his whereabouts had definitely been exposed.

He reasoned that the "Plague Doctor" Sergei was surely on his tail by now.

However, the situation wasn't completely dire.

That was because the southern town was the territory of the Cross Society; it was very unlikely that the Crow Gang could cross the border en masse, so he believed it was highly probable that Sergei was closing in alone.

Su Lun came up with a plan to ambush and kill.

Having deceived the crows earlier, those birds had learned their lesson and no longer brazenly came out to intimidate from the shadows.

But he had "Malicious Perception," and although those crows were well hidden, they couldn't escape his sense.

So, Su Lun pretended not to notice and rode his motorcycle not to Green Street, but to Ginkgo Street several blocks away.

He ditched the motorcycle and deliberately circled around to make it look like he was covering his tracks before entering the little western-style building at 88.

Once inside, Su Lun was in no hurry.

He sat on the sofa in the living room, finally having the time to tend to the wounds on his body.

Then, he checked his ammo, firearms, and equipment.

After finishing all this, he lay back on the sofa to rest. Staring at the ceiling, he muttered to himself, "I just hope Mr. Hei won't mind me leading someone into his trap..."

Indeed, this was a confrontation strategy he had considered long before.

Su Lun had once imagined that if he encountered an insurmountable enemy, 88 Green Street would be an excellent spot for an ambush.

Because, there was a "T-class cursed space" in the basement.

And Su Lun knew how to get out.

Even though he might encounter that horrific super-grade living corpse upon entering, it was even more of a nightmare for the enemy lured inside.

....

"However, this 'Plague Crow Blood Curse' is indeed a problem; if I can't find a solution to break it, I really might be drained to death..."

Nearly twenty minutes had passed, and even though he had injected healing medicine, Su Lun was feeling dizzy and weak, a sign of the depletion of his vitality.

And at that moment, that familiar sensation of a foreign object choked in his throat suddenly reappeared. Su Lun's face paled slightly and in a moment's turn, he retched with a "hurl," and another feathered crow flew out.

The "caw, caw, caw" of its calling seemed to mock his overestimation of himself.

The moment he retched, Su Lun felt significantly weaker, yet his eyes flashed with a chilling resolve: "Has the moment finally arrived..."

As the crow emerged from his mouth, though Su Lun was not at all surprised, he nonetheless acted as though he had been discovered, turning his head as if to rush out the door.

Clearly, the enemy would not let him escape so easily.

Just then, the second-floor window glass exploded, a flock of crows flew in blocking his escape. Among the crows, a middle-aged man with large black feathered wings and wearing a pointed beak crow mask flew in.

"A flying gift, you've come quite fast indeed."

Seeing the newcomer, Su Lun naturally guessed this was "Plague Doctor" Sergei himself.

This fellow's talent was the rare beast transformation series talent "B-055-Raven Man."

As soon as the flock of crows entered the room, the overwhelming pressure from a second-tier professional immediately made Su Lun feel like he was being pricked by needles, a thick malice filling the air.

Sergei looked at Su Lun, who was caught like a turtle in a jar, and sneered. He was in no hurry to act, scoffing, "Kid, did you think you could get away?"

The response to his taunt was two gunshots, "bang, bang."

They killed two crows, but didn't even slightly injure Sergei's true body.

Seeing this, Su Lun feigned "horror," and with no hesitation, he turned and darted into the basement.

Sergei smirked disdainfully but with a trace of doubt. Still thinking of escape, now?

Guessing that there might be an ambush or tunnels in the basement, he did not rush down but sent a flock of crows ahead instead.

Through the shared vision of the crows, he saw to his surprise nothing but an empty, sealed basement.

Then, the basement erupted again with intense gunfire.

His crows were being shot down by Su Lun again.

"Damn rascal!"

Sergei cursed angrily, feeling the twitch of his eye as his pets were killed and anger rose in him in an instant.

Now that he knew there was no ambush in the basement, he followed suit.

....

Sergei cornered Su Lun in the basement.

Originally, the man had wanted to persuade Su Lun to surrender in the posture of a victor, but before he could get the chance, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Standing in the basement, the space around Su Lun twisted, and then, without any warning, disappeared!

"Instantaneous movement? Or invisibility?"

Sergei watched as a living person right before his eyes suddenly vanished, his expression changing drastically.

Where Su Lun disappeared, a piece of paper slowly drifted to the floor.

Sergei's eyes widened as he tried to find any trace of Su Lun in the basement, but found nothing.

"No hand seals, no alchemy array lighting up, how did he escape?"

Sergei was full of doubt.

And then he saw the piece of paper, had a crow fetch it for him.

Looking at it, the paper read: "The basement is a cursed space."

"Cursed space?"

Sergei instinctively murmured something to himself and suddenly noticed the surroundings distort.

He immediately realized something, muttered "Not good"!