Mechanical Alchemist

The Sand Scorpions watched Edward and Barbara come out and, following Su Lun's example, attempted to strike up a conversation to glean some information.

"Hey, Mr. Edward..."

"Oh, the beautiful Miss Barbara..."

"..."

No matter the opening line, unless a keyword was triggered, the two key NPCs paid no attention to the Scavengers they deemed "outside of their recognition" and simply left.

The group of Scavengers, feeling snubbed, turned their attention to Su Lun, who had come out afterwards.

"Hey, you!"

Gallup's face darkened as he called out to Su Lun.

He didn't beat around the bush and asked bluntly, "What did you say to those two just now?"

...

Su Lun was already aware that the Sand Scorpions had been watching his every move, from the moment he entered the banquet hall, to the backstage... to now.

Facing these folks who obviously meant trouble, his brows furrowed.

He felt it was a waste of time to explain even a word more.

Su Lun had no intention of entertaining these people and ignored Gallup's words, but he found his way blocked by members of the Sand Scorpions who were brazenly armed.

Only then did he ask coldly, "What do you want?"

Gallup asked again, "What exactly did you say to those two ancients a moment ago?"

That aggressive posture made Su Lun frown and he retorted, "Am I obligated to explain anything to you?"

As the esteemed leader of a Scavenger group, Gallup had his pride and naturally couldn't admit that he was strong-arming information.

He spoke with a righteous tone, "Didn't I warn you earlier when I came in not to trigger any special scenarios? Did you just ignore my words?"

At this point, one of the underlings stood forward, putting on the air of a reasonable person, and said, "The Chief Gallup is right! Those two ancients are guests on the second floor; if we don't make it up there by midnight, we're all dead. So, you have to give us an explanation!"

Asking for an explanation was just a pretext; what they really wanted was information.

Ever since this cursed space was discovered, around one or two thousand people had entered. It was clear to any discerning person that the "Magician" and the "Singer" were no simple characters, yet no one had ever managed to extract any useful information from them.

The Scavengers were also well aware that the first floor was just an appetizer; the truly valuable treasures were with the guests on the second floor, or perhaps even on the third.

Discovering any kind of alchemical knowledge or alchemical items was an opportunity to get rich overnight.

Now that a lucky fellow had found a "trick," how could they not be envious?

Seeing Su Lun's attitude of wanting to "keep it all to himself," Gallup threatened, "You'd better speak up. Otherwise, if someone fucks up and triggers some dangerous scenario, I won't hesitate to take them out first."

...

Su Lun was originally not opposed to giving some explanations.

It wasn't he who wanted to kill them, but rather the five major family Scavenger groups outside.

From the moment Room 1021 was opened, it was destined that this group entering the cursed space would be wiped out.

Now, if they didn't trigger a scenario, they were certain to die; triggering one, on the other hand, gave them a small chance of survival...

But the malice around him was piercing like needles.

These guys were truly intent on killing.

With not a single expression on his face, Su Lun asked calmly, "Are you going to kill me?"

"Hmph."

Gallup snorted coldly, the meaning clear without words: as long as you understand, kid.

However, what no one expected was for Su Lun to behave like a clueless kid, completely misunderstanding the gravity of the situation.

He just let out a single word indifferently, "Oh."

Oh?

Gallup turned an iron shade seeing Su Lun's blatant lack of respect.

The rest of the "Sand Scorpions" were also not pleased, their fur bristling like cats whose tails had been stepped on.

"Kid, our chief is talking to you nicely and you fucking ignore him? Do you really think we won't touch you just because there are guards around?!"

"Chief Gallup, don't bother talking to this type of person. I say, if he doesn't give us a satisfactory explanation, tie him up and take him to the wine cellar, and just kill him."

"..."

The Scavengers no longer hid their intentions, and their questioning turned into a blatant threat to his life.

Without the hotel guards, someone indeed would have died long ago.

However, it wasn't Su Lun, but them.

Once again blocked, Su Lun was also getting a bit impatient from being entangled.

He was no longer polite, "Beat it."

The Scavenger gang's insoleness wasn't developed in a day or two; they were used to being overbearing, and who would heed such arrogant words?

As soon as he said it, someone jumped out, "Kid, who the fuck are you to talk to me like that?"

With the conversation having reached this point, Su Lun no longer hid his murderous intent, a sneer spreading across his lips.

He cocked his head and scrutinized the group, "My name...knowing it means death, are you sure you want to know?"

Upon hearing this, the heart of every Scavenger gang member inexplicably shivered.

They immediately realized that they might have encountered a tough nut to crack.

It sounded like he had some background to be so arrogant, right?

But this is the Cursed Space, after all!

Heh... if there truly is a background, and we offend him, then we certainly can't let the person leave alive!

Gallup's gaze grew even colder.

Although some Scavenger gang members were frightened by this bravado, with more than a dozen of them there, they couldn't just chicken out like this.

The deputy gang leader, raising his neck and laughing contemptuously, said, "Hahaha... Do you think I'm easily scared? Come on, spit it out, what's your damn name, 'cause I'd die to hear it!"

Su Lun didn't waste any more words this time, simply stating, "Oh... My name is Su Lun."

Having said that, he left straight through the crowd without looking back.

This time, no one dared to stop him.

....

He said... his name is Su Lun?

This name seemed to possess some sort of magic power.

A question arose in everyone's mind.

The name seemed very familiar, yet they couldn't recall it at that moment.

No, it was more accurate to say, no one dared to think in that direction.

The group exchanged glances, seeing the puzzle and that inexplicable unease in each other's eyes.

After a long while, someone spoke up with a trembling voice, voicing the possibility that nearly all of them had thought of, "It seems like... the S-ranked fugitive who's been causing a ruckus lately is named... Su Lun."

With that, it was as if the whole world fell silent.

They turned their gaze toward the proud figure who had walked away, finally understanding where his confidence came from.

They suddenly realized that what that guy had said before wasn't a bluff, but the truth.

In the underworld, it's a taboo for robbers to be recognized and for fugitives to give out their names - it's a matter of life and death.

If it really was that "S-ranked fugitive," would he let these people who knew his identity live?

At that moment, they all heard the sound of swallowing.

Even Gallup, the Scavenger gang's boss, turned pale.

At this moment, even though that man had his back to them, Gallup didn't dare muster up the courage to draw his gun.

An "S-ranked fugitive" who is tough enough to hunt down second-tier professionals is not someone their small Scavenger gang could provoke, right?

Although they regretted it in their hearts, what was done couldn't be undone.

A ruthless gleam flashed across Gallup's eyes.

"Boss, if it really is that 'Su Lun,' we..."

"So what if he's a fugitive, am I supposed to kneel and beg for mercy? Damn it! Wait until midnight; we'll take that guy out first. With so many strange occurrences, I don't believe he's invincible! We won't go scavenging today; let's make a bounty!"

"Right, he didn't dare to make a move, similarly wary of the guard. We could even find a chance to trigger a conflict and have the guards arrest him. By then, even if it really is that fugitive, we could use the spatial rules to kill him!"

"..."

With this, the others also began to echo in agreement.

....

The Scavenger gang didn't have the guts to shoot on the spot.

Su Lun wasn't inclined to deal with them right now either.

He walked over, meeting Edward and Barbara who had just come down the stairs.

They had just come down from the second floor and called over a new partner, an old lady in a black robe with a face full of tattoos.

Edward introduced their partner to Su Lun, "This is Madam Archimedes, she is an [Exorcist], adept at dealing with some evil magic. We have another partner who'll be down soon."

"Hmm."

Su Lun, not one for small talk, led the three of them to the door of room 1021.

He used his lock picking skills to open the door.

Edward and his two companions were the first to enter, and then they saw the corpse on the bed.

The tattooed old lady also had a solemn expression as she said, "This is indeed the corpse of 'The Faceless.' Destroying the corpse will immediately alert the caster."

Edward also sighed, "Now that the people in the inn should all be contaminated, there's no need for evacuation. Prepare for battle."

Barbara, who was standing to the side, didn't speak, but at this moment, she had already completed her demon transformation, her pupils had turned red, and a tail had grown. Her body was enveloped in an eerie pink mist.

Su Lun didn't approach but instead stood at a distance, hiding his body behind the invisible undead.

Just as they were preparing to destroy the body, a man with a crew cut arrived belatedly.

When Edward and the others saw him, they clearly recognized him and greeted him, "Rosco, you're here."

But as soon as this man entered and they saw his face clearly, Su Lun's pupils suddenly constricted.

He looked at the man's unusually large earlobes and immediately thought of the description given by the receptionist.

With a sense of dread, Su Lun inwardly exclaimed, "This guy is the one who booked those four rooms... Teague Carlson!"

Upon identification, the name above this guy's head was also "Demon-transformed Beast Tamer Rosco."

....

These four corpses were arranged by him!

So it wasn't just that old nun. Among Edward's teammates, there was another who had been corrupted by magic.

Su Lun even guessed that the reason these people failed to handle the incident a thousand years ago was probably directly related to this guy.

However, even after discovering this, Su Lun's face showed no hint of surprise.

The people were already here, and there was no need to speak, as a fight was inevitably going to break out.

With three against one, the advantage was still theirs.

He dared not expose the truth aloud, fearing that "Demon-transformed Rosco" would target him as the primary attack objective. Instead, he silently took out his marionette and also formed a sorcerer's seal, quietly unraveling the vestment...

Edward and the others watched Su Lun deploy his spider lance and vestment with a sidelong glance, but said nothing.

Meanwhile, the old lady had taken out some red crystals and alchemical powder, intending to destroy the corpse.

Suddenly, the crew-cut man made his move!

His hands, without any warning, stretched out in advance and, in the blink of an eye, turned into two spotted poison snakes. Opening their mouths to reveal their poison fangs, they lunged towards the magician's throat and the cloaked old lady.

Edward sensed the danger and his figure flashed, instantly teleporting several meters away.

The cloaked old lady, however, was not quick enough to evade and was bitten on the neck by the poison snake.

"Rosco, what are you doing!"

"Careful, he's been contaminated!"

"..."

Several urgent shouts.

Rosco's face showed numbness, and a surge of black energy wildly inflated around him. An alchemical formation lit up beneath his feet, and in the next second, thousands of spotted poisonous snakes swarmed into Room 1021!

Stripe after stripe of poison snakes, mouths agape and fangs bared, surged toward the people in the room.

And more sinisterly, a shadowy, ash-colored alchemical formation also suddenly lit up beneath the corpse of 'The Faceless' on the bed.

The corpse... abruptly stood upright!

Su Lun, feeling a chill on his scalp, silently took out the sack he had previously removed from a corpse and put it over his head.

Peering through the gaps in the sack, he watched everything happening in the room.

The current battle did not yet require his intervention.

....

The crew-cut man suddenly turned traitor, catching Edward and the other two off guard.

But that didn't mean the three of them were without the power to counterattack.

The cloaked old lady had been bitten on the neck by a poison snake. Her complexion instantly revealed a black miasma signifying death.

However, at that moment, she took out a black cloth doll and sprayed it with a mouthful of black blood.

On closer inspection, the color on her face returned to a much healthier shade of red.

Watching as a tide of poison snakes flooded in, Edward also swiftly reacted. His hands rapidly formed sorcerer's seals, and a black hexagram array shone from beneath his feet.

Then, something miraculous happened.

Su Lun watched as the space in the palms of his hands suddenly twisted.

In just the blink of an eye, it was as if the space, this "canvas," was forcibly torn open, turning into two increasingly larger swirling black vortexes. The tide-like surge of poison snakes, yet to wreak havoc, was suddenly swallowed by a powerful suction force into those two palm-held black vortexes, their destination unknown.

Watching this battle scene from the side, Su Lun was astounded, "Creating black holes with your hands? How... How outrageous is this Spatial Ability?!"

He was also grateful that he hadn't planned to directly ambush this magician earlier.

This move, it simply stunned someone who had never seen Spatial Ability before.

....

On the other hand, the fight that erupted in the room had instantly reached an intensity where life and death were decided in just moments.

Barbara had transformed into a succubus, her body exploding into a cloud of pink mist, and when she reappeared, she was already enveloping the flat-headed man in front of her.

But the next moment, a sharp cry was heard, "Rosco has been completely contaminated, we can't control him!"

Before the words even settled, the skin on the flat-headed man's body suddenly swelled up, and huge tumors started puffing out from his body, tearing through his clothes... it seemed as though he would mutate into a monstrous creature any second.

"Kill him!"

Edward made a snap decision, shouting vehemently.

He retracted the black hole in his palm, brought his hands together, and made a compressing motion in the air; the space around the flat-headed man seemed to solidify, and his body instantly stiffened.

A flash of cold light within the pink mist, and before the newly-mutated freak had a chance to wreak havoc, a massive head rolled to the ground with a thud.

The elder woman in black took a deep breath, her tone solemn as she looked at the corpse in the room, "The Four Vengeful Corpses have been raised, killing one will only lead to their infinite resurrection. They must all be killed at the same time, or the caster must be killed to break the spell!"

Edward also shouted, "Hurry to the third floor! That old nun must be heavily contaminated by now! Kill her before she's fully turned into a demon!"

The turn of events happened too fast, there was no time for anyone to hesitate.

Without another word, Edward and his two allies rushed out.

The battle came suddenly, and ended just as abruptly.

From the flat-headed man's arrival to now, just a few fleeting moments had passed, and in room 1021, the snake was gone, the people were gone...

All that was left was a decapitated corpse on the ground and a [No-Face Corpse] standing stiffly on the bed.

Oh, and Su Lun, covered with a sack over his head, in the corner.

....

Outside, gunfire had already erupted, and the NPCs in the hotel seemed to have begun their mutations.

Su Lun, looking at the two corpses in the room, muttered to himself, "The plot seems to have gone off track..."

The person who checked into the room was Edward's teammate, something he hadn't expected.

But... it seemed to make no big difference.

In the end, they would have to fight either way.

The only difference was that the "Ghost Fog" that was supposed to erupt at midnight had started two hours earlier.

It was unclear whether this was good or bad.

Su Lun wanted to leave the room, but just then, he saw the [No-Face Corpse]'s head suddenly blossom open. Then, from within the petals, grew stamens, and several meters-long flesh-colored tentacles, studded with tumorous suckers, writhed and emerged from it...

The seven or eight tentacles, like snake tongues, probed the air in all directions, as if searching for living creatures by scent.

Su Lun remained still, the information he identified matching exactly what the elder woman in black had said.

[Demonized No-Face Corpse]

Detailed description: A second-tier silver rank zombie oddity; a special ingredient for an evil ritual, the oddity will infinitely resurrect within the formation unless the caster is killed to interrupt the ritual, or all four Vengeful Corpses are killed simultaneously.

Even though it was a zombie kind, it couldn't be killed.

Su Lun, looking at the formation that lit up in the room, guessed that this room was the "respawn point" for the oddity.

And at that moment, the tentacles seemed to detect the presence of a living person in the room, and the slime-dripping appendages groped their way closer and closer to where Su Lun stood...

But fortunately, the "sack" did its job.

Just when they were about an arm's length away, the tentacles seemed to sense a repellant odor and withdrew.

The [No-Face Corpse] ignored Su Lun and left the room.

....

"Whew..."

Su Lun let out a breath of relief.

A glow had begun to appear on the decapitated corpse in the room.

He walked over and picked up the gold promotional material [Beast Tamer's Whip].

Too bad it wasn't material for a Magician...

Su Lun's brow furrowed slightly.

It was just as the previous information had indicated, the oddities here easily produced high-tier materials.

But this also meant that if he wanted to guard Edward's body, he would have to go upstairs.

After considering, Su Lun took out a [Hanging Noose] and slipped it onto his arm, hooked the bag containing [Damp Hair] to his waist, and used the [Wailing Infant's Swaddle] as a cloak...

Only after preparing all this did he finally control his reanimated corpse and exit the room.