Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun made his way to the Scavenger Guild.

Perhaps because he was a lone Scavenger, no one approached him, but for other teams, there were butler-looking individuals constantly coming up to inquire.

Upon arriving at the Storm Estate, the scene was even livelier.

The screens before were mostly displaying private tasks or small-scale recruitments.

Now, the screens showed many more "Legion Recruitments."

The financial moguls from the inner city, quite flauntingly, were spending huge sums of money to have their advertising messages fixed at the top and bolded, blinding spectators.

City entrance fees, settlement fees, paid rest... Each major family offered better conditions than the last, all wanting to recruit experienced and capable Scavengers and teams.

This Scavenger Guild was quite like a job fair for major corporations hiring workers.

On ordinary days, the inner city folks look down upon the outer city civilians who risk their lives Scavenging, but now they've become the "talent" over which the major tycoons scramble.

Although Scavengers may not have equipment or combat prowess that matches the elite teams from the inner city, their experience in Scavenging is tangible. Especially in the perilous Dawn Relic, experience means a higher chance of survival.

Unable to push through the crowd, Su Lun watched from a distance.

The ranking of pinned messages on the screen basically reflected the power ranking of inner city families.

The wealthier the family, the further ahead their message appeared.

The Reyes family alone occupied seven messages, all seven branches that had split off earlier were present, with the main house being first.

Then there were others like Olli, Clark, Rockefeller... about twenty to thirty first-rate tycoons.

Behind them, a little smaller in font, were the second and third-rate tycoons... several hundred messages.

The content of the messages was more or less the same, with all the major tycoons heavily recruiting various Scavenging teams, and Scavengers with strength and experience.

Anyone with clear sight could tell that the Duke's posting of the nationwide Scavenging task had a clear purpose, which assuredly wasn't for these major tycoons to just go through the motions.

With so many experts from the inner city coming along, they were certainly there to Scavenge.

If there comes a time when Scavenging tasks are mandatorily assigned, the young ladies and young masters might even be herded like ducks to "survey the relic."

Risking their own lives and their direct line forces would obviously not be worthwhile, so it made more sense to recruit some Scavengers.

It would cost some money, but if danger truly arose, the losses would be smaller, and the chance of survival higher.

....

Su Lun's pupils flickered rapidly as he scanned the information on the screen, ten lines at a glance.

He analyzed the recent Scavenging trends.

Clearly, the pace of exploration was accelerating.

In the central region of the Relic, third-tier warriors had already begun to lead teams inside...

But they seemed to encounter not insignificant resistance, not to mention some top-tier warriors who couldn't reach the central city even after half a month, and some of the large Scavenging teams that had been at the forefront had disappeared altogether from the rankings.

In such cases, it meant either they'd earned enough and gone back, or they'd been wiped out.

Then, while looking, Su Lun actually spotted a coded message in the advertisement column.

"Is Mr. Hei looking for me?"

Su Lun saw that the message had been posted a day ago.

Without using any other contact methods, it seemed not to be too urgent.

Su Lun deciphered the content, which only provided an address: White Elephant Gambling Den.

"Eh... to have the rendezvous at a gambling den? That doesn't seem like Mr. Hei's style..."

That kind of old gentleman, although not particular about trifles, definitely had places he wouldn't go.

Like a brothel or a casino.

Su Lun thought he might have deciphered it incorrectly and checked again, but it was still the same address.

Could it be that the code was mistakenly crossed?

No, that couldn't be right, this wasn't a common code, but a predetermined cipher.

Not figuring it out, Su Lun decided to go to the designated place to see for himself.

...

Dawn Camp produced "nouveaux riches" every day, so naturally, gambling dens, these dens of iniquity, were never in short supply.

Su Lun had no interest in gambling, and since there was no gladiator arena here, he had never visited one.

For some reason gambling dens liked to be underground, and the boss of "White Elephant Gambling Lounge" had literally dug ten meters into the ground to create a medium-sized underground casino.

When Su Lun arrived, the place was buzzing with people.

The not-so-spacious gambling den was crammed with nearly a thousand people.

In the semi-enclosed space, smoke curled through the air, and the atmosphere was saturated with the mixed scents of sweat, tobacco, and intoxicating potions.

It was just like the gambling dens on Green Street once had been, full of slot machines, pachinko machines, roulettes... every corner of the gambling den was packed with these machines.

Each machine was occupied by gamblers, the clinking of coins clashing, the "klunk" "klunk" of the handle being pulled, a cacophony of noises assailing the ears.

In the central area, there were also poker tables...

The crowd still could not do without the gambling den girls dressed in revealing clothes.

Su Lun entered the casino, exchanged for some chips at the front desk caged in by a wire mesh, and then disguised as a gambler, he blended into the crowd.

He didn't exhibit any signs of looking for someone, and didn't start scanning around the moment he walked in.

Because he knew all too well, someone who doesn't look like a gambler entering a gambling den is the least welcome and the most conspicuous.

At that moment, he saw a gambler just leaving his seat, so with seeming interest, Su Lun sat down at a slot machine, inserted a coin, and casually pulled the lever.

"Clang~"

The scroll spun and then stopped on several fruit symbols.

Su Lun had spent quite some time on Green Street and being a Mechanic himself, he was no stranger to the workings of these machines.

These programmed machines might seem random, but there were certain tricks to them.

He gambled a few hands and even made a small profit.

But he wasn't there to gamble.

He thought that under normal circumstances, Mr. Hei with his ability to appear and disappear like a ghost would've quickly noticed him and then come to meet him.

However, to his surprise, after gambling for a while and winning a good sum of chips, no one had come.

Su Lun felt puzzled; perhaps the message was no longer valid?

After thinking it over, he decided to stand up from the slot machine and take a stroll through the gambling area.

...

In the main hall, there were several blackjack and craps tables surrounded by a large crowd of gamblers.

"Nine points, nine points, nine points..."

"Haha, twenty points, assured victory!"

"..."

The gamblers shouted desperately for the cards they wished for.

Su Lun wandered around aimlessly and didn't recognize any familiar faces, but he did catch some individuals behaving strangely.

"People from the Umbrella Organization, and they seem to be of a not-so-low rank..."

He quietly placed bets while forming some speculations in his mind.

He had learned many of the Umbrella Organization's internal secret codes and recognition methods from Sabrina.

Watching those professional members of the Umbrella Organization, he recognized them at a glance. But since their gaze didn't fall on him, Su Lun didn't feel they were there to catch him. If there had been any action, Sabrina would've warned him.

"Could it be because these people are watching that Mr. Hei hasn't shown up?"

Su Lun thought.

However, it wasn't long before he was proven wrong.

He saw an acquaintance. Continue reading at empire

....

Next to the basement hall, there were several small rooms, the VIP rooms reserved for high-stakes gamblers. Although they weren't closed off, screens hid the gaming tables, and one needed a certain amount of chips to enter.

Su Lun didn't see anyone at first, but he was attracted by a familiar voice.

"All in!"

"Call!"

"Four aces! Haha, your full house is nothing compared to this!"

"..."

Su Lun knew that voice all too well.

He muttered to himself with a puzzled face, "Sister Qian?"

So it wasn't a secret code left by Mr. Hei, but rather that gambling-addicted lady?

At that moment, all of Su Lun's confusion suddenly made sense.

No wonder they had chosen to meet in the gambling den...

No wonder he had waited so long without seeing anyone...

It turned out that the gambling-addicted lady was having too much fun and was waiting for him to find her.

Su Lun couldn't help but laugh and cry. He walked over, tossing a chip casually like an old gambler to the attendant at the door.

Even without showing enough chips, he smoothly entered.

Behind the screen, the gambling table was playing Texas Hold'em, with seven gamblers in total.

When Su Lun arrived, he saw the gambling-addicted lady joyfully sweeping up the chips on the table.

Looking at the amount, it was at least several million.

This kind of high-stakes game didn't allow spectators; only the gamblers could come in.

Su Lun walked over, and the lady offered him a chair, inviting him to sit down.

Su Lun took his seat naturally and then gave the lady a chip as a tip, also saying, "Exchange this for three million in chips for me."

The blonde lady smiled sweetly, "Of course, sir."

The arrival of a new person caught the other gamblers' eyes at the table, none of them spoke, and they fiddled with the chips in their hands.

Only the carefree gambling-addicted lady seemed still immersed in the joy of her winnings and didn't seem to recognize the now "charm level 12" Su Lun.

Su Lun knew it was Sister Qian's weakness, so he didn't plan to spoil her fun.

He had intended to play a few hands, but as soon as he sat down and glanced at the face of a middle-aged man who had been sitting with his back to him, Su Lun immediately realized that the situation didn't look quite right.

There was something odd about this game.

....

"Could it really be that guy..."

Although Su Lun's face remained impassive, his mind was already considering strategies for dealing with the conflict if it arose.

If it had been anyone else, he probably wouldn't have been so grave, but it happened to be this man.

If things were as he suspected, then they would be exceptionally tricky.

At this moment, the private room attendant happened to be walking over with a tray.

She bent over to place the chips on the table, turned her face towards Su Lun with a smile, and said, "Sir, your chips have arrived..."

Su Lun turned his head towards the girl and gave her the characteristic sleazy smile, "Thank you."

As he spoke, he handed over another chip, sliding it into the low V of the girl's neckline. It looked like a playboy's greasy move, but his gaze inadvertently swept over the bespectacled middle-aged man to his left.

Top experts all have extraordinary powers of perception, and the slightest change in emotion in his glance could be easily caught.

Su Lun dared not look directly.

But it was this brief glimpse,

by the time he clearly saw the man's face,

Su Lun was glad he had been cautious, but his heart sank, "It really is him! If he's not here for me, could he be here for Qian Tiao?"

"Good luck, sir~"

As thoughts flashed through his mind, the young lady beside him yiyi chuckled, threw a coquettish glance at Su Lun, and then left the side of the gambling table.

....

The other few at the gambling table didn't seem to mind waiting for this half minute.

The croupier shuffled the cards, and a new game began.

Su Lun acted as if nothing was wrong, occasionally observing the others at the table with the normal scrutinizing gaze of a gambler.

Even though a "troublesome" character had appeared at the table, he showed no sign of panic.

After observing for a while, Su Lun realized that the man wasn't here for him.

He also didn't make any effort to warn the gambling-addicted lady opposite him.

Qian Tiao might look careless, but her combat instincts were remarkably sharp.

Even if there was indeed a problem, she likely wouldn't be at a disadvantage.

Moreover, Su Lun knew that she had recognized him.

It was highly possible that she also noticed the anomaly in the gambling game.

Things seemed to be getting complicated.

Su Lun felt that they were most likely caught up in an "accidental incident."

The game continued,

Su Lun had harvested various miscellaneous abilities, and his card skills were not bad.

After a few rounds, the three million plus had quickly turned into over four million.

This was the temptation of Texas Hold'em, "Going all-in" could make one quickly rich, but also could empty one's chips at any time.

Today, Qian Tiao's luck also seemed to be not bad, as she had already amassed nearly ten million in chips in front of her.

Those who can gamble so big aren't simple.

After several rounds at the table, Su Lun had roughly identified the identities of the other players.

Besides a few who were obviously wealthy people from the inner city, the most suspicious one was a blonde man wearing suspenders and a white shirt.

Although his clothes were expensive, the air of a street thug couldn't be concealed.

He might pass on the outside, but not at a gambling table of this caliber.

This guy seemed to be unlucky, not getting good cards in several rounds and having lost the chips he had before plus another five million he added.

Previously, Su Lun only thought this blonde man was a bit unlucky, not noticing anything amiss.

However, this round, he saw the problem.

The "troublesome" bespectacled middle-aged man seemed to be particularly targeting the blonde.

....

After the first round of blinds, the pot had already accumulated several hundred thousand in chips.

The croupier dealt the cards, the three community cards were the Jack of Spades, the 3 of Spades, and the Ace of Spades...

Three spades, it was obvious someone would go for a flush.

The chance of stealing was very small.

Following a round casually, Su Lun, Qian Tiao, and the others all folded their cards.

Only two were left, the bespectacled middle-aged man, and the blonde young man.

The blond pushed his chips forward, "One hundred thousand."

Su Lun glanced at the slight furrow of the blonde young man's eyebrows, knowing that his cards were probably not meant for a flush. The fellow wasn't very good at cards, and when he had decent but not large cards, he would unconsciously show this slight facial expression.

The bespectacled man across was very composed, calmly raising the stakes, "Five hundred thousand."

The blonde hesitated for a moment, "Call."

Su Lun, seeing this, guessed that the blonde man most likely had a two pair hand, which is why he knew the other was going for a flush but still couldn't bear to fold.

He probably wanted to bet on a "full house" hand with "AAABB."

Just then, the croupier dealt another Diamond 4.

The blonde young man's wrinkles at the corners of his eyes tightened, obviously of no use to him.

And at this moment, the bespectacled middle-aged man became aggressive, raising the bet, "One million."

The tone was so even that it seemed like a flush.

This put the blond young man in a difficult position.

He had already bet nearly a million in this round, and folding would mean a huge loss.

But to see the fifth card, he'd have to call at least a million more.

He looked across at the man with glasses and said discontentedly, "Hey, hey, hey, uncle, are you trying to bluff me?"

The bespectacled middle-aged man responded indifferently, "If you want to see the card, put up the chips."

"..."

At that, a look akin to frustrated rage flashed through the blond man's eyes.

However, Su Lun noticed that the wrinkles at the corner of his eyebrows seemed to relax.

The blond man pushed forward almost three million in chips, as if to intimidate, "All in!"

....

To provoke, then go all in...

A bit of a trick, but not a particularly clever one.

Watching this, Su Lun slightly turned his gaze, thinking, "It's getting interesting. But what's this guy counting on to win? Cheating?"

At that moment, he suddenly realized something and focused on the gold coin the man was toying with in his hand.

Although the blond man had been fiddling with the coin all along, the change in his momentum just now seemed to match the rhythm of the coin...

With this thought, Su Lun took a closer look.

And indeed, there was a problem.

[Tabard's Lucky Coin]

Description: You won? No, you've lost everything.

Cursed Trait: Using the cursed power within the coin can bring you good fortune; but after using this good luck, the person closest to you will suffer misfortune; once touched, you will become more dependent, and your luck will worsen without it;

Detailed Explanation: This is a cursed Ancient Coin; once during the mythological era, a deity wanting to punish Their gambling descendant, created this coin of misfortune;

Seeing this, Su Lun's pupils narrowed slightly and he chuckled to himself, "So he does plan to cheat... tsk tsk, if this guy knew who he was up against, he'd probably regret his actions."

Using sleight of hand to cheat was, of course, out of the question; there were experts in this gambling hall.

But using a cursed item to cheat—that caught people off guard.

The other party had gone all in,

and the bespectacled middle-aged man was still calm, saying indifferently, "I'll call."

Then the croupier dealt the card, the last one was the "Club Jack".

Having gone all in, there was no final round of betting, and both revealed their hole cards directly.

The bespectacled middle-aged man had the King of Spades and the Nine of Spades, indeed a flush.

The blond man excitedly threw out his hole cards, a Jack and a Three, which together with the community cards made a full house, JJJ33.

He seemed delighted, reaching for the chips in front of him, "Haha, I didn't expect my luck to be this good... to actually gamble a full house!"

The bespectacled middle-aged man lost money but didn't seem to mind at all; a hint of a smile surfaced on his sickly face, "Yes, you're quite lucky, Mr. Bianco..."

"You...!"

With his name called out, the blond man's complexion changed drastically.

He didn't even bother to make any excuses, and without any hesitation, he quickly reached into his chest pocket and pressed his pocket watch.

In that instant, everything in his view seemed to slow down several times, everything around him turning into slow motion.

He violently pulled away from his seat, ready to flee the gambling den.

....

"An A-rank... oh, no, a newly promoted S-rank wanted criminal, 'Lucky Star' Bianco?"

Su Lun finally knew who this person was.

This guy had been committing crimes frequently recently, making quite a name for himself. It was said he ambushed the youngest son of an inner city tycoon and a rich merchant, then made it onto the S-list.

And in that instant, in Su Lun's view, he suddenly felt the blond young man's speed explode, as though he was a ghost about to slip away.

This speed was beyond what a second-tier, fully agile assassin could achieve.

Su Lun wasn't marveling at the speed but was slightly surprised to see the silver pocket watch just taken out from his chest, [Watkins' Pocket Watch].

Description: The consequences of disturbing the order of time are severe, do you want to try?

Cursed Trait: By pressing the pocket watch, the user can gain a time acceleration of 2~5 times their own; however, if you don't master the Time Law, using it will randomly shorten your life, perhaps by a second, or perhaps by a hundred years;

Detailed Explanation: A prized creation of an ancient alchemist named 'White Watkins', it was originally a family heirloom intended for his offspring;

Looking at the information identified, Su Lun muttered to himself, "So it's a rare time-cursed item, this guy's got quite the collection of treasures..."

Those who made it onto the S-list naturally had some tricks up their sleeves.

However...

Too bad.

If his pursuers were anyone else, with this time acceleration ability, Bianco might have actually gotten away.

But... the man before him wouldn't give him any chance to live.

Because this bespectacled man was none other than the leader of the Umbrella Organization—'Forensic Doctor' Servis Gerard!