Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun didn't linger at the position in the alley, instead, he turned and made his way to a nearby dilapidated building.

Inside the building there was no light, only darkness.

Although he knew the enemy had already ascended the building, he guessed that there must be traps, cunning mines, or alarm devices scattered along the way.

After all, this decrepit building was a regular gathering place for the people of Green Street, and its layout was etched into their minds.

Therefore, Su Lun didn't choose to take the stairs but instead used the mechanical grappling gloves on his arms to shoot steel wires, clinging to the external obstacles and climbing up the outer wall until he reached the rooftop.

Not seeing anyone on the rooftop, he listened closely for a moment, then descended to the fourth floor.

Rappelling down to the fourth floor with the steel wire, he landed in a corner and observed two figures stealthily setting up a sniper rifle.

They were completely unaware that someone had silently approached them from behind.

Su Lun raised his gun and fired, "Biu~" "Biu~" two shots ended the lives of these two men.

He walked over and casually harvested the Soul Shards from their bodies.

'Gained 'Slaji Litt's memory shard*2''

'You have gained some 'basic mechanical knowledge''

'Firearms experience +6'

'Spiritual power +0.05'

'Gained 'Porter Haddad's memory shard*1''

'...'

The two wisps of mist provided Su Lun with some firearms experience, and that basic mechanical knowledge was exactly what he needed.

Indeed, working solo didn't interfere with his performance.

With two men killed, Su Lun gained a decent sniper rifle, two mechanical arms, and several items stored in two storage rings, which could be sold for about two or three hundred thousand in total.

Although he seldom used sniper rifles on a daily basis, his marksmanship was not bad.

Lifting the bodies, lying on a dust cover, Su Lun perched the enemy's sniper rifle on his shoulder and looked down at the battlefield below through the scope.

From this angle, he had a perfect view of Kai's position below.

Luckily, he arrived just in time. Had he delayed further, the people of Green Street, caught between two fires, would most likely have been annihilated.

In that instant, Su Lun aimed the scope towards the Steam Faction on the opposite side of the alley, targeting a man holding a portable rocket launcher.

"Bang," he shot the man in the head.

Then he pulled the bolt back, turned his aim to the man next to his fallen target who was casting a shocked look in the direction of the ruined building, and fired another shot straight through the man's chest.

With two shots, Su Lun killed two targets, and the enemy, realizing there was a sniper in the broken building, instantly dared not show their heads anymore.

.....

After firing two shots, Su Lun didn't look for other targets, but quickly packed up the sniper rifle and left his original position.

Just seconds after he departed, a flurry of gunfire swept over the spot where he had just been shooting.

Listening to the "tat-tat-tat" of the heavy gunfire, Su Lun knew it was the sound of the vehicle-mounted heavy machine gun on the armored car.

Armor-piercing bullets penetrated the concrete walls, turning the two bodies lying on the floor into a bloody mess. If he hadn't moved, that burst of bullets would have been directed at him.

Su Lun changed direction, hid behind a load-bearing column, and glanced at the battle below.

His eyes were utterly calm, and he didn't fire frequently.

He would occasionally take a shot only when he spotted a target that posed a significant threat to Kai and his team.

After killing another two people, a rocket flew over and blasted a big hole in the floor.

However, Su Lun had anticipated this and had already moved out of the way in advance.

Kai, down below, had seen the rocket flying towards the building, and although initially worried about Su Lun's safety, he was reassured by the sporadic gunfire that Su Lun was still safe.

With such a sniper, accurate with every shot, providing suppression, the pressure on them was significantly reduced.

....

From atop the ruined building, Su Lun surveyed the entire battle.

Now, the whole of Green Street was in chaos, the enemy's main force had completely poured into the area. In just the few minutes it took for him to ascend the building, several places where gunshots had been previously heard had fallen silent. The Steam Faction had an overwhelming advantage in numbers, and the Cross Society was being pushed back steadily.

It could be said that Kai's squad was able to hold on only because Su Lun single-handedly pressed down on the battlefield.

But Su Lun knew it was time for him to retreat.

This situation could not be stopped by him sniping down a few individuals.

But suddenly, he saw a house in the distance collapse with a thunderous crash.

"High-level professionals fighting?"

Su Lun narrowed his eyes at the heart of the collapsed area and saw a red-skinned giant, like a War God, entangled in a battle with several members of the Steam Faction.

"Is that Goron? As expected... quite strong..."

Su Lun watched with sparkles in his eyes.

Goron was taking on three at once, and he was not at all falling behind.

There were two executives from the Cross Society, Smokey had gone back to the headquarters, leaving only Goron at Green Street.

Before Su Lun had not seen anyone, he was a bit hesitant to act.

Now that he had seen Goron, he also breathed a sigh of relief.

With this executive drawing fire, it was like a bright light had turned on in the darkness, attracting all the enemy's second-order professionals.

In this way, Su Lun felt that the likelihood of having an enemy executive come to trouble him was even smaller.

Thinking of this, he looked down at Kai and his companions still struggling below, and didn't hurry to leave.

"Looks like I can still wait for another wave of prey."

Su Lun muttered under his breath.

He estimated the time, pondering in his mind, "Someone should be coming soon..."

....

Having the high ground in a battlefield is crucial, and now that it was known there was a sniper inside, Su Lun knew the enemy would definitely come.

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion came from near the staircase on the first floor of the dilapidated building.

When he heard the blast, his expression was not surprised; these were the warning bombs set up by the two snipers earlier.

The explosion meant that someone had sneaked in.

He quickly took several smoke bombs from his tactical vest, pulled the pins, and threw them into the corners of the fourth floor.

Seconds later, smoke enveloped the entire floor, so thick one could not see their own hand before their face.

Su Lun adjusted his goggles, and his vision was not affected in the slightest.

The tactical goggles he wore on his head were equipment looted from the Black Tower Academy during an expedition in the caverns, not only featuring night vision but also smoke penetration—a piece of military equipment that couldn't be bought in the outer city.

He didn't think the ordinary Steam Faction members could have such gear in their possession.

Before long, several figures tiptoed up the staircase. Their feet hadn't even touched the fourth floor when Su Lun fired four shots in quick succession.

No sooner had the gunshots faded, than four bodies "thud thudded" rolled back down the stairs.

After firing, Su Lun's ears twitched slightly, detecting another sound, and immediately turned his gun toward the window, then fired two more shots to take down two more fellows climbing the wall.

After six people died in quick succession, those downstairs finally got wise. Shielding themselves with mechanical shields, about a dozen bunched-up together and advanced.

The vision obscured by smoke, they could not see clearly but still fired blindly into the smoke in all directions.

Su Lun was in no rush to act, concealing himself behind a stone column, listening intently to the enemy's footsteps, gauging their locations.

Bullets whizzed and pattered against the stone pillar, chipping away at its surface.

Hearing the enemy's round of firing subside, he accurately pinpointed their positions.

Just then, Su Lun flicked his finger, and suddenly a creepy doll fell from the ceiling near the staircase.

The doll, like a hanged corpse, dangled and flailed in mid-air, emitting a spine-chilling cackling laugh from its mouth.

The sound pierced their ears for just a moment, and the Steam Faction members felt a sudden trance, their grip on the guns and shields faltering.

Without any hesitation, Su Lun darted from behind the pillar, dual guns blazing, firing thirteen shots into the crowd, then followed with three more.

In the blink of an eye, another thirteen people were dead.

Bodies piled up at the staircase entrance.

In front of this "firearms expert," who also had the advantage of an ambush, those ordinary members of the Steam Faction stood no chance at all.

....

Su Lun didn't linger over the bodies strewn across the floor, he pulled on the wire, hoisting the creepy doll back up to the ceiling.

Because he was very aware that this was just the beginning.

Footsteps were still coming from below!

Su Lun again changed his position, attentively observing the entirety of the fourth floor, contemplating, "The next wave should bring leaders of the profession..."