Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun jumped into the sea, and under the cover of night, vanished in an instant.

The Cefeng was not too far from the port, so after swimming a bit and using spatial teleportation, he swiftly reached the U-shaped bay.

The focus of the battle was on Mr. Jing and the two sixth-rank individuals, so no one noticed that Su Lun had already climbed up the cliffs of the harbor. The effects of such high-level combat were wide-reaching; captain-ranked fighters could only fight on the fringes, while lower-ranked pirates had to stand far away waiving their flags and shouting.

Su Lun watched the battlefield where Mr. Jing was fighting against two opponents; although he was struggling to cope, his life was not in immediate danger, so Su Lun did not rush to join the fight.

He needed to find the right opportunity.

There were many pirates, so only a stealth attack would do.

Su Lun notified Mr. Jing through the communicator and said, "Sister, your soul has been marked. You should be able to sense the person who marked you, my scythe can ensure a precise attack within two hundred meters, I have a plan..."

He didn't beat around the bush but laid out his plan directly, knowing the other party would understand.

He would only get one chance to strike, and it had to be a fatal blow.

The situation was that Mr. Jing was being attacked on both sides by "Frost Troll" Gahl and "Solar Flame General" Gretis. He wanted to kill the person who had marked his soul, but he was completely tied up.

Besides, that captain was no weakling and would run.

Other pirates were also eyeing eagerly.

So, the predictable outcome was that Mr. Jing would eventually be worn down by this horde of pirates.

Shortly after the plan was communicated, a response came through the communicator, just one word: "Hmm."

It was hard to discern the emotion.

But the more calm the reply, the more Su Lun was aware of the crisis.

If help was not needed, his senior sister would have definitely told him directly.

Su Lun did not delay any longer, sprayed himself with masking scent, and quickly changed into the pirate outfit he had stripped off earlier.

A yellowed linen shirt, a frayed brown vest, armed with a curved saber and flintlock, and even wrapped a dirty red headscarf that looked like a rag around his head. Pirates, constantly adrift at sea, likely hadn't washed clothes for ten days or a half-month, the nauseating mix of seafood and body odor thoroughly imbued the fabric.

However, changing clothes also gave Su Lun a bit more sense of security.

This way, he could possibly avoid those with a keen sense of smell.

...

All attention was on the fight on the ice.

Dressed as a pirate, Su Lun secretly descended from the cliff.

He dared not appear in the pirates' line of sight flamboyantly.

Fortunately, hundreds of pirate ships acted as the perfect cover, each one frozen into the ice next to one another.

Seizing the opportunity, Su Lun teleported into the cabin of one of the pirate ships. This was a cannon room, piled everywhere with cannonballs and gunpowder. On the floor lay several bodies with mushrooms growing on them, their death expressions horrendous.

The inside of the pirate ships were as filthy and disordered as the outside, you wouldn't expect the illiterate pirates to follow any rules, urinating and defecating anywhere was the norm. The living quarters of ordinary sailors were cramped and reeked of disease and decay.

Su Lun didn't linger, sensed the layout of the cabin next door, and teleported over again.

In the cabins, there were either all dead bodies, or a few living ones; in the lower decks were low-ranking pirates who were easily killed.

The position of the "target'' was confirmed: hiding in the crowd, surrounded by numerous captains to guard him, unthinkable for Mr. Jing to kill, and even less feasible for Su Lun.

He would need a clever trick.

The battle outside grew fiercer, the shockwaves increasingly intense.

It felt like drums hammering by one's ear, stirring one's flesh and blood.

Using the ability to teleport, Su Lun cautiously moved from boat to boat.

Originally going for a kill, he inadvertently passed through the cabin of a special "slave transport ship."

Pirates had been raiding Old Lington since earlier in the day, plundering many "spoils of war."

Not to mention treasure, there were also slaves.

This cabin was holding about one to two hundred mechanics in white lab coats!

Su Lun noticed the logo on their clothes and immediately recalled the corresponding information. These men were from Old Lington's "Secret Research Facility Number One," the site that captured mechanics for the "Super Mechanical Warrior Project."

Apparently, the pirates recognized the value of these mechanics.

They were probably planning to sell them, or coveting the project itself.

But in the end, few were left alive.

Space was extremely limited on the ship, and these cherished scientists from the secret research facilities in Old Lington were crammed into metal cages like livestock, a dozen-meter square cage stuffed with dozens of people, several cabins packed tightly, all wearing chains and fetters.

When Su Lun arrived, except for a few who were shivering with more breath in than out, the rest had turned into ice sculptures.

The physical constitution of scientists inclined towards mechanics was certainly no match for professionals, and their advancement direction was not focused on combat capabilities.

The battle involving three sixth-rank professionals outside sent shockwaves one higher than the next, trapping these mechanics in the slave hold with no escape.

The "Frost Troll" Gahl wasn't very bright, fighting with indiscriminate wide-ranging ice magic, which meant these mechanics, nearly as fragile as ordinary people, could not escape and mostly froze to death on the spot.

Su Lun looked at the faint "grey mist" in the cages, and as he passed by, he devoured it.

Though the soul shards had dissipated somewhat due to the time elapsed since death, thankfully the number was large.

From this harvest, he gained a vast amount of mechanical knowledge.

Research personnel's memory shards were quite pure and rarely cluttered with miscellaneous memories.

Thus, even though many were dispersed, their value remained very high.

Theoretical knowledge, manufacturing experience, and various incomplete blueprints, components, and production experiences...

Su Lun's mind suddenly filled with an abundance of advanced mechanical knowledge, mostly related to "super mechanical warriors."

This instantly provided him with numerous inspirations for creating mechanical puppets, significantly elevating his mechanical knowledge.

However, under the pressing circumstances, he did not delve deeply into it.

He then teleported to the neighboring ship.

....

Su Lun explained his detailed combat plan to Mr. Jing through the communicator.

Mr. Jing cooperated by increasing the commotion outside to cover up his presence inside the cabin.

He had learned from Mr. Jing that professionals who advanced to the fourth level commonly possess an innate ability similar to "danger perception."

Just like Su Lun's own "malice detection" skill, it allowed him to instantly sense any hostile gazes.

Moreover, this "danger perception" ability grew stronger with higher ranks.

It was nearly impossible for lower-ranked professionals to successfully ambush them.

So he was well aware of his limits and never hoped to ambush two level sixes.

He hadn't even entertained the thought.

At such a close distance, the slightest malintent would probably expose him instantly.

The goal was clear, to kill the person who had used the "Soul Mark."

But a fifth-rank squadron captain was not so easy to kill.

Even with the mysteriously unpredictable black scythe in hand, an ambush would be difficult.

Thus, he absolutely couldn't target in conventional ways.

But without looking, capturing the target and aiming the strike was a major problem.

Su Lun roughly estimated the distance and hid inside the cabin of a pirate ship.

After reporting his concealment spot via the communicator, he suppressed his aura and patiently waited.

Waiting for Mr. Jing to create an opportunity.

....

The entire U-shaped harbor at that moment was like a boiling elemental cauldron, with ice and fire elements fiercely clashing, sporadically accompanied by other lightning, wind, darkness, and high-level spells colliding, creating massive elemental explosions...

"Frost Giant" Gar and "Solar Flame General" Gretis didn't give Mr. Jing any chance, entangling him, not in a hurry to land the killing blow, planning to wear him down slowly.

While those squadron captains didn't qualify for direct engagement, a few of them working together had the capability to protect themselves.

Whenever Mr. Jing attempted to kill the target employing soul control, they would immediately change the battlefield, avoiding direct confrontation, waiting for the two pirate leaders to intervene.

"Hahaha... that guy is getting weaker, he's about done!"

"Big Gar, smash his head in!"

"I bet a thousand bucks, Big Gar will surely crush that guy's skull..."

"Haha, I think the boss will bash him to death with a club!"

"..."

Mr. Jing, like a tiger surrounded by wolves, had his legs chained. No matter how fierce, he was outnumbered and encircled by cunning evil wolves.

The atmosphere of the battle shifted from somber to resembling a "beast fight", with the pirates seeing the outcome as inevitable.

It was just another instance of a "cornered beast still fighting for its life."

But those pirates didn't realize at all that they were like a herded flock of sheep, gradually being driven by Mr. Jing into the "designated area."

....

The hubbub around him was growing louder.

In the cabin, Su Lun was like a proficient hunter, silently lying in ambush.

Just then, suddenly, he received a transmission from the communicator: "The target is at your 10 o'clock, 150 meters away on that ship, eight meters up the main mast."

Earlier, when Su Lun had descended from the cliff, he had already scoped out the entire layout of the harbor.

His highly developed brain retained everything he had seen clearly.

At that moment, hearing the precise coordinates outlined by Mr. Jing, his mind worked like a machine, immediately calculating the exact position of the target.

Without any hesitation, he raised his hand to mimic a grabbing motion in the void, directing the living corpse to slash towards one wooden wall inside the cabin.

To account for any minor errors in calculation, he estimated the maximal endurance of the living corpse and executed the largest arc possible in a sweeping slash.

If the target was there, he would certainly be cut in half!

This strike was enigmatic and unpredictable.

Even Su Lun didn't know who he aimed to kill, so how could the opponent possibly sense any hostility?

Moreover, almost simultaneously, Mr. Jing released his killing intent to envelop the entire scene to synchronize with his action. With the bright moon overhead, everyone would overlook that faint glimmer of starlight!

....

Su Lun swung his scythe down and suddenly, the noisy clamor outside came to a halt.

The pirates had gathered to watch the excitement, and Su Lun knew his strike must have hit some people, but he wasn't sure if it had definitely killed the "target."

And a moment later, like cold water dripped into a hot oil pan, a roar of chaos erupted outside.

"Damn, we are under attack!"

"Captain Yark is dead! Be careful, the Soul Chains have failed!"

"The enemy is on the 'Vulture', capture him!"

"..."

The pirates were in an uproar.

Previously, with the chains holding the tiger, they were calm and composed.

Now that it was free, how terrifying would it be?

At that moment, Mr. Jing's voice came through the communicator, "Well done."

Listening, Su Lun's heart was filled with joy, and the heavy stone on his heart finally fell.

His risky venture here was not in vain!

Only with Mr. Jing free could his own chances of survival be higher.

The walking dead exploded, and Su Lun did not dare to linger. He collected the scythe and the shroud.

Knowing he was discovered, he quickly teleported, leaving the cabin.

His spatial displacement distance was not enough, and he couldn't possibly outrun higher-order professionals.

Just as he teleported out of the cabin, the pirates' tangible killing intent pierced him like hundreds of needles.

He could clearly feel the pirates' frenzied emotions, wanting to rip him to shreds.

Almost at the same instant, Su Lun found himself locked by several Tier 5 squad captains. In the blink of an eye, several figures had surrounded him on all sides, leaving no escape.

At this distance, even Mr. Jing would be too late to save him.

Facing one alone, he might still have had a chance to escape.

Unfortunately... there were at least dozens in this harbor!

But Su Lun, daring to take the risk of coming here, wouldn't have come unprepared.

He had anticipated being exposed and being hunted by a bunch of Tier 4 and Tier 5 pirates.

In an expected situation, he took out a chessboard he had prepared beforehand and shot a beam of light toward a pirate goon not far away.

The light struck the pirate goon,

The next second,

a scene that astounded the group of pirates occurred.

They watched in disbelief... as both individuals suddenly disappeared!

A few squad captains who had just thought to strike were baffled by the air.

But there were those who knew better and reacted instantly.

"That's a special space created by a cursed artifact! Seal it off, he's still here, he can't escape!"

"Fetch the cursed artifact that can break this independent space!"

"..."

For a moment, the pirates were thrown into chaos.

....

This chessboard was naturally the [Stanitz's Chessboard] that Su Lun had obtained from Young Master Oliver Danzer.

This magical artifact could pull the target into a 1V1 independent space.

For a Puppet Master who could perform "Puppet Theater," it was quite useful, nearly invincible against peers of the same rank.

But for Su Lun, it was somewhat superfluous.

Because without this artifact, he hadn't encountered an enemy among his peers.

Using it against higher ranks would only burden him.

Hence, he hadn't used it.

But clearly, to use such a precious treasure just for one-on-one duels would be a rather narrow outlook.

Su Lun developed a new feature for it, just as now, to escape from higher rank enemies.

Directly pulling a low-rank enemy into it, both would appear in the chessboard space.

The crisis was instantly resolved.

Su Lun now didn't have to face that group of pirates outside but only the goon before him.

As long as he didn't die, and the goon didn't die, the space would not unravel.

However, the only downside was that the space was still at its original location, essentially being "guarded" by someone. Once he left, he would always have to face that group of pirates.

Moreover,

Su Lun didn't believe that a pirate gang capable of reigning as kings didn't have professionals who could handle this kind of spatial magical device.

Hiding in this chessboard space was not a long-term plan either.

But at least, it gave him time to breathe.

"Senior sister, it's all up to you now,"

Inside the black and white checkerboard space, Su Lun muttered to himself and casually wrapped up the dumbfounded pirate minion opposite him with silk threads.

He didn't kill him, just hung him there.

Su Lun had no doubt of his senior sister's capabilities.

If she had thought there was a problem with the plan, she would have definitely spoken up earlier. She absolutely wouldn't let Su Lun risk his life to create an opportunity for her.

So there were risks, but as long as nothing unexpected happened, the chances of success were greater.

At this point, there was no hint of panic on Su Lun's face. Experience more tales on empire

He pulled out the "Oz Frost Man's Shroud," wrapped it around himself, and became "invisible," disappearing into thin air.

Then, he simply lay flat.

Having come out of Old Lington, his rank might not have been high, but he possessed many cursed and sealed items.

This "sealed item," which completely enclosed his scent, was imperceptible to anyone outside.

Thinking that if the chessboard space was broken, it might still hold for a while.

The people of Old Lington knew Su Lun had these items, but the pirates didn't. By the time they figured it out, it would be enough time for Mr. Jing to make a move.

....

Su Lun did not know how the battle was going outside, and just quietly lay flat.

Indeed, Mr. Jing did not disappoint him.

Before long, before the pirates had broken through the chessboard space, suddenly, a voice came through the communicator, "Release the space, I'm here to save you!"

Hearing this, Su Lun felt relieved and without hesitating, snapped his fingers and killed the pirate minion.

The chessboard space instantly opened, and the tide-like surge of killing intent flooded in, making Su Lun's scalp tingle.

The fierce gazes of countless pirates scanned the area where he was, as if their stares could punch holes through the deck.

But a moment later, they were stunned.

They discovered that aside from the minion's corpse, they couldn't see Su Lun's shadow!

Any sensory coverage failed to detect another person here.

Disappeared?

All the pirates had this thought simultaneously, and their collective intent to kill stalled on the spot.

Without a target, their killing intent had nowhere to vent.

Su Lun had just breathed a sigh of relief when a biting cold swept over him like a blanket.

A normal person would have been startled for a moment, but there was someone not quite normal in this pirate gang!

The brute "Frost Troll" Gahl didn't care whether there was a person or not, he angrily lifted his Wolf Fang Club and swung it down.

"What strong battle instincts!"

Su Lun marveled internally for a moment but didn't move.

Because at that moment, a figure faster than the ugly giant flashed over.

She accurately grabbed Su Lun, who was lying flat on the ground, shook her bat wings behind her, and immediately flashed out toward the harbor.

...

"Phew...saved."

Su Lun felt himself flying swiftly, the intense feeling of being overloaded hit hard, but his heart instantly lightened.

Even carrying another person, Mr. Jing's speed was extremely fast, the wind howling past his ears,

the "Frost Troll" Gahl stood on the icy ground, charging along the route, and in the end, roared helplessly at the sky, unable to continue the chase.

Even the Bald Woman, who had transformed into a human-shaped dragon, was much slower than Mr. Jing. Moreover, even if she caught up, she couldn't do anything by herself.

Soon, Black Reef Castle vanished from his sight.

That last trace of locked-on intent to kill also disappeared.

He was finally out of danger...

However, as Su Lun looked toward the distant stormy area ahead, his expression soured again.

The Wind Catcher had entered the chaotic storm belt...

Asking through the communicator, the ship couldn't sink in the short term, but it was their first experience with the power of nature; the course was completely uncontrollable. A group lacking sailing experience was adrift in the storm...

What's worse, Mr. Jing suddenly spat out a mouthful of turbid blood.