Mechanical Alchemist

The Dawn City Ruins were just as the legends described, fraught with peril.

After the first wave of giant bat attacks cost them a few men, the Scavenger group encountered several more monster attacks, also resulting in casualties.

Among these, there was one monster that even Su Lun found somewhat challenging.

It was a humanoid aberration with four legs and sharp claws, its brain exposed on the outside. It burst out of the fog like lightning, killed a man, and then darted back into the fog. It moved so fast that ordinary gunmen had no chance to even pull their triggers before it disappeared again.

The identification information showed it was a monster morphed from an assassin profession, known as the "Blink Walker."

Luckily, there was a second-tier professional in the team.

After a few men had died, "Warblade Group" leader Blum personally pursued it into the fog and dealt with the monster, resolving the crisis.

However, the good news was that the monsters in the ruins were strong, and the chances of producing cursed materials were very high.

Even a small group like the "Drunkard Group" that followed the main force managed to collect quite a few materials.

Moreover, for Su Lun, the extremely high concentration of dark spiritual power in the ruins was making him stronger with every breath!

....

A journey that would normally take just three or four hours ended up taking half a day.

In the afternoon, they finally arrived at the area marked "Red Brick Tower Street" on the map.

The architecture within Dawn City mixed various styles; it was a cross-street where the east side featured a dilapidated red brick tower that looked like an ancient bell tower. It had a pointed roof, flying buttresses, and some broken stained glass, clearly exhibiting Gothic style.

The monastery where the witch's hair had been discovered was located to the west, equally dilapidated but with a Romanesque dome. The principal building was white, but the main hall and cloister had large areas of collapse...

Su Lun used the All-knowing Eye for a glance, which displayed it as "A Dilapidated Monastery."

There were no special hints.

From the information known, there was definitely a "Crying Female Demon" nearby hunting humans.

Previously, bodies had been found nearby, and their hair strands had also been taken, indicating that the demoness might be a roaming monster or a special condition triggered cursed space.

Su Lun did not take any risks and did not approach the monastery area.

Then he looked down at his hand, made an awkward winding finger motion, looked around, and repeated the gesture twice more. His brows relaxed, and he confirmed something in his mind, murmuring, "It's not a dream..."

He had not forgotten that the "Wailing Witch" was proficient in killing through dreams.

Even if Su Lun wanted to approach the monastery, he couldn't.

Because a second-tier leader of the "Warblade Group" had already started dispatching squads to explore the inside of the monastery.

Others didn't know what they were doing, but Su Lun was very clear.

They were a Scavenger group funded by the Oliver family, and their purpose here was to search for clues about the "Wailing Witch" on behalf of Young Master Danze; the dilapidated monastery had also become a key target of their exploration.

However, Su Lun thought this was rather good.

Others clearing the mines for him meant at least finding out what kind of existence that witch was.

....

Having arrived near the designated destination, each Scavenger group began their own search missions.

The "Drunkard Group," because it was part of a joint Scavenger equal contract group, was free to act upon reaching the destination.

Benson called out to the group members, including Su Lun, "Let's go, brother Johnny, let's search those buildings over there."

The monastery was off-limits, but there were plenty more buildings to explore around.

Although Scavengers had visited here before, no one could guarantee that the routes others had taken were completely stripped of treasure.

Scavenging was much like gold panning, requiring a lot of patience and luck to find gold in a pile of rubble.

This city was destroyed suddenly, so the ruins preserved many daily items of the town's residents from a thousand years ago.

Perhaps there were still undiscovered cellars, jewelry boxes in collapsed rubble, or money hidden underground...

With enough patience, there was always something to find.

Saying this, Benson led the team members to unload their backpacks and tents and began hunting for treasure lightly equipped.

The fog was quite thin on the streets now, visibility was good, and no monsters were spotted.

Everyone scattered and began searching for treasures based on their experience.

It was Tommy's first time scavenging in such a dangerous place, and he was very excited. But he didn't follow Benson; instead, he turned to Su Lun and asked, "Mr. Johnny, may I join you?"

Out of curiosity, Su Lun asked, "Why?"

With a shrewd shift in his eyes, Tommy replied, "Because I think it's safer with you!"

Su Lun smiled, appreciating the boy's cleverness, "As you wish."

Hearing his agreement, Tommy beamed and shouted across the street to Benson, "Dad, I'll go with Mr. Johnny!"

Benson didn't mind, and with a big wave of his hand, he said, "Good!"

Su Lun wasn't particularly interested in treasure hunting; he wasn't short on money at the moment, so his search was rather perfunctory.

Moreover, knowing that the Wailing Witch was lurking nearby, he kept his eyes on the ruined walls, looking for any sign of trouble.

Before long, the scavengers had their first find.

Suddenly, a hearty laugh rang out.

"Hahaha... I found a cash box!"

The speaker, Bernal, was a spell-casting magician in Benson's team who excelled in the Gold Seeking Technique.

This rare auxiliary spell had no combat power, but it was perfect for finding metal buried underground. It was just like walking with a human-shaped metal detector.

Benson laughed as well, "Yo, not bad."

A small box of ancient silver coins could probably sell for a hundred thousand or eighty thousand.

Off to a good start, the spirits of the Drunkard's group soared.

Su Lun and Tommy explored a building and dived right in.

....

The street had been scavenged by previous hunters, and to find any treasures, one would need to dig deep into the ruins or look for things hidden in even more concealed spots.

Without the special spell like the Gold Seeking Technique, it would require a lot of effort.

Su Lun was quite laid-back, leading Tommy, the rookie, and the two "amateur-level" scavengers aimlessly wandered through the building ruins.

Although he had no hope of finding anything valuable, he discovered that Tommy's ability to hunt treasures was surprisingly good!

The duo reached a pile of collapsed rocks, and Tommy, sensing something, suddenly stopped and pointed to the ground, "Mr. Johnny, I think there's something beneath us."

Su Lun, "What is it?"

Tommy frowned, seemingly trying hard to sense something, and said, "I'm not sure, just a feeling..."

"Alright, let's dig and see."

Listening to this description, Su Lun grew increasingly curious about what kind of talent this guy had awakened.

A Prophet? Not quite.

Thinking there was nothing else to do, the two started digging.

With the help of a mechanical arm, they dug quite quickly.

Once they had cleared away the debris, they actually found an alchemy magic wand inlaid with a blue gemstone.

There was probably a body next to the magic wand, but the years had decayed it into a yellow-brown stain.

Tommy exclaimed excitedly, "Wow... Mr. Johnny, we really did find a treasure!"

After examining it, Su Lun said, "This wand is inlaid with a 'Star Fragment Gemstone,' which, being so large, wouldn't sell for less than eight hundred thousand at auction."

Hearing the price, Tommy's eyes lit up, "Wow... did we just find eight hundred thousand?!"

Su Lun also felt it was incredible, "Yes."

At that moment, he suddenly noticed something and, like lightning, drew his gun and fired at a shadow creeping in from the ceiling behind them.

A gun bang followed.

A monster dropped in response.

Tommy hadn't reacted yet when he saw a deformed lizard drop from the ceiling right above his head.

...

Gunshots sounded off occasionally as scattered deformed creatures hidden in the buildings were killed by the scavengers. But the lack of major battle noise suggested that the monsters weren't numerous or particularly threatening.

This, however, made Su Lun more cautious.

The situation was abnormal in Dawn City, where deformed creatures often roamed the streets in groups. It was probably like an area where tigers were known to roam, making other animal groups rare.

As Su Lun and Tommy casually strolled through the ruins, they soon arrived under the collapsed Red Brick Tower.

This place had been searched many times already and probably had nothing valuable left.

At that moment, Tommy noticed something again, pointing to the collapsed building, "Mr. Johnny, why do I feel that the bell tower is a bit strange?"

Hearing this, Su Lun got interested as well. When Tommy said "feeling," there was a good chance there was something there.

It was a square bell tower that had only about seven or eight meters of its base left due to the erosion of time. Looking at the scattered stones on the ground, Su Lun estimated that the building must have been at least a hundred meters tall when it was intact.

The ground not only had broken stones but also some broken, rusted parts of a large clock.

For instance, a gigantic bell that looked like it weighed over ten tons.

Although it was made of metal, no one could take it away, nor was there any need to. The thing was worthless.

Su Lun focused his gaze on the collapsed ruins, identifying each element, but he found nothing unusual.

Perplexed, he turned and asked, "Tommy, where do you think the problem is?"

Tommy thought for a moment and said, "That bell."

"..."

Su Lun frowned as he listened and stared intently at the bell, weighing over ten tons, trying to find something.

From beginning to end, from inside to out, he nearly missed no detail.

He even deliberately looked at the shape of the rust.

However, after staring at it intently for several minutes, he still didn't detect anything amiss.

However he looked, all it showed was "an ancient, rusted bell."

"Could it be that a special condition is required to see anything peculiar?"

Su Lun thought of the cursed space at 88 Ginkgo Street, which needed to be thought of to exist.

Or maybe... had Tommy sensed something wrong?

....

As the two of them circled around the bell assessing it, Su Lun didn't notice that a team of ten from the "Scavenger Group" who were heading to the monastery for exploration, suddenly vanished into thin air.

Seconds later, the huge bell, which had previously shown no signs of abnormality, suddenly revealed different information before Su Lun's eyes.

[Legend of the Bell Tower Monster]

Explanation: A cursed space with a special triggering mechanism, only appearing when the Wailing Witch appears. Ring the bell, and the space will involve anyone within 100 meters who hears the bell; normally, this is an A-level danger cursed space, but for you, it's D-level. Enter the bell tower, fulfill the monster's last wish, and you can leave.

Special note, do not let it sense your disgust, or it will enrage 'it'.

"Is it really a special trigger?!"

Su Lun contemplated the information, his mind racing.

But the revealed information indicated that this wasn't the cursed space of the Wailing Witch he had predicted.

Rather, it was a concomitant space that appeared only when the witch appeared???

Su Lun frowned, seeing that it was only D-level, which meant it was almost harmless.

Before he could think further, in that instant, Su Lun also heard the sound of heavy objects falling nearby.

Tommy also exclaimed, "Mr. Johnny, look, there are many bodies here!"

Su Lun's eyes followed suit, and he saw ten bodies suddenly appear nearby!

"Huh..."

Su Lun's eyes narrowed, immediately realizing something.

The appearance of bodies out of thin air meant that they had been expelled from the cursed space.

He glanced at his hand again, making a strange gesture around his finger.

Finding no anomalies, he finally relaxed, "It's not a dream..."

He then used the All-knowing Eye to scan the surroundings again, but found nothing abnormal.

All ten bodies bore a crest, a blood-colored battle sword, and those faces seemed vaguely familiar — weren't they from the "Scavenger Group"? Su Lun even remembered that they were from the "Seventh Squad."

The bodies were peaceful in appearance, but several translucent threads pierced through the bodies.

"The Wailing Witch!"

Su Lun immediately understood.

No wonder the [Legend of the Bell Tower Monster]cursed space had appeared; it was triggered by the appearance of the witch!

Having realized this, Su Lun abruptly looked towards the monastery, "It's not a wild beast, which means, there's also a special trigger cursed space there!"

At this moment, Tommy also spotted the silver hair strands. Curiously, he pulled one from a body and asked, "Mr. Johnny, what is this?"

Su Lun naturally recognized the item.

However, there were about thirty strands of hair on the ten bodies, which was more than all of the ones Su Lun had put together.

Only then did he realize where the previous hair had come from.

However, these were not easy to take.

Just as Tommy pulled a strand from a body, a squad nearby saw something and quickly approached. From a distance, the squad leader coldly stopped Tommy's further action of pulling hair strands, "Kid, that's not for you to touch!"

Hearing this tone, Tommy shuddered, standing there helplessly frozen.

As Su Lun listened, his gaze suddenly turned cold.

....

Originally, Su Lun hadn't expected to obtain these strands of hair through normal means.

After all, these ten fresh corpses were all people from the "Battle Blade Squad." The things they had discovered at the cost of their lives were naturally not going to be handed over to outsiders.

However...

What was this nagging "malice" all about?

Su Lun looked up at the team of people, remembering they were from the "Battle Blade Squad's" second division. This team leader with the explosive hairdo was apparently called "Bomb Maniac" Collins.

Tommy, who was standing by, was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Captain Collins, what do you mean by this?"

Collins, naturally recognizing that Su Lun and his companion were from the "Drunkards Squad," looked at the corpses and seemed very irritable, "I said... don't touch these damned threads!"

Tommy's face flushed red from the rebuke, and he retorted, "We didn't say we were going to take them..."

At that moment, Collins completely lost his patience, glared at both Tommy and Su Lun, and snapped, "Get lost!"

That person had indeed issued a deadly order, this time they must find the "Wailing Witch," or enough strands of hair.

Otherwise, even if all of their squad members die here, they cannot return!

And now... it's still far from enough!

That meant that definitely more people would continue to die!

Meanwhile, the silent Su Lun had already figured something out, and with a usual expression, he motioned to the nearby Tommy, "Let's go, Tommy."

After he turned around, the expression under his mask suddenly became amused, "Malice has turned into a killing intent... It looks like I guessed right after all."

...

Su Lun had been suspicious when he arrived as to why the Oliver Family's Scavenger Squad, despite being powerful enough, still brought along three independent squads.

They said it was for mutual support, but in reality, the "Battle Blade Squad" with its second-tier professionals, both in terms of combat power and equipment, really didn't need to bring some independent squads that "don't follow commands."

The most logical explanation is that these guys did not harbor good intentions, rather than considering personal feelings.

Otherwise, knowing that the "Wailing Witch" was lurking here, they still haven't revealed any hints.

It's probably also with the mindset of having more teams and more people to trigger the mine.

After all, a completely unknown cursed space has to be explored at the risk of their lives.

Just like these ten corpses in front of him.

Given the situation, Captain Benson also fell victim to an "acquaintance." (Previously unsure if the witch was definitely here, other parts of the ruins aren't necessarily safer than here, still, an acquaintance warned Benson which was pointless.)

However, even though Su Lun had preempted some signs, he still followed them here.

Firstly, he felt that he had to come and see it anyway, so it didn't matter who he came with.

Secondly, if the others truly harbored malice, Su Lun felt it was a good opportunity to harvest some experience and spoils of war.

With the Zombie of Hatred and the Black Scythe in hand, the "Battle Blade Squad" was still not enough to pose an insurmountable threat.

Now that the corpses appeared suddenly, it also meant that they had already figured out how to trigger the "Wailing Witch's cursed space"...

Seeing how the malice had turned into killing intent, the intention was quite clear.

....

However, killing people "out of the blue" didn't seem too reasonable.

As the opposing side had the upper hand in numbers, fighting head-on, Su Lun might not gain much advantage.

Moreover, although his deductions were accurate, the nature of such "malice perception" is hard to explain clearly.

If they really started fighting, several independent squads might still be baffled and not know whom to support.

Unless absolutely necessary, Su Lun did not want to be hostile towards these independent scavengers who were originally uninformed.

But he also didn't plan to wait until someone pointed a gun at his head to act.

So, he thought of another method.

He ignored the corpses and walked straight to the huge bell, then took out a metal tool and fiercely rang the bell.

"Dong..."

Since it was inconvenient to kill here.

Then change the place.

Moreover, Su Lun felt that he might have caught some important clues about the "Wailing Witch" and had to visit this cursed space first.