Mechanical Alchemist

"A second-tier Abomination Warrior, how strong must its recovery ability be?"

Su Lun looked at Holle, who had turned into an Abomination Warrior after the injection, as if he had discovered some incredible treasure, and a sense of anticipation surged within him.

Previously, when he and Kai had ambushed the Steam Party's escort team, they had killed a first-tier Abomination Warrior and had deeply experienced how formidable a monster that couldn't be killed was.

It was a breakthrough beyond the limit of its tier, with physical parameters several times, even more than ten times superior to those of its peers.

Seeing this second-tier abomination, Su Lun was not worried about its strength but rather hoped it would become even stronger!

Because for the Black Scythe, it was just a matter of one slash, or maybe two.

What he cared about was whether it was really feasible to use an Abomination as material for a puppet zombie.

....

During his previous attempts at creating puppets, Su Lun had always felt that the bodies of ordinary humans were too frail, breaking down after just a few uses.

He pondered whether there were better alternatives.

Naturally, he thought of the Abomination Warriors.

The essence of both Abomination Warriors and puppets was the same: they were human and both utilized the non-directional mutations brought about by "X Serum" to enhance attributes.

So theoretically, it was entirely possible to use them as "corpse" material.

If this idea could be realized, Su Lun felt it would bring a radical qualitative change to his "puppet zombies."

Given the Abomination's exaggerated self-healing ability, if no vital areas were damaged, it could recover instantly.

This meant that if he controlled an Abomination zombie to slash with the Black Scythe five times, triggering instant backlash, but none of the five slashes hit a vital spot, then... right away, its terrifying self-healing ability would restore it!

Perhaps... it could immediately take another five slashes?

Five slashes followed by another five slashes...

Theoretically, as long as his luck wasn't bad and he didn't inflict a fatal injury, Su Lun could make the Abomination Warrior slash with the Black Scythe N times!

If this assumption held, the Black Scythe in the hands of an Abomination Warrior would indeed be a truly terrifying weapon.

Previously, lacking the technology to create an Abomination Warrior, he had the idea but no opportunity to try it out.

But now, a finished product had appeared before his eyes!

And it was a second-tier one!

At this thought, Su Lun could barely contain the excitement in his heart.

He was determined to take this Abomination back for a test!

With this thought, he didn't delay, quickly reaping the spoils from several corpses, and then set off chasing in the direction of the fleeing Abomination Warrior.

....

Holle had turned into an Abomination Warrior after the injection and became extremely fast.

It charged and crashed through obstacles, quickly catching up to Number Nineteen, who was escaping.

Number Nineteen, though still apathetic in expression, had a trace of solemnity in her eyes at the sight of the monster.

Hearing the Abomination's ferocious approach from behind, she violently thrust her feet to the ground and leaped backward to dodge the charge. Her body bent backward into a crescent shape in the air, and as she landed, her long blade swept down, striking the Abomination Warrior's right shoulder. The blade sunk two fingers deep, but in the blink of an eye, the wound completely healed.

The very next moment, the Abomination, reacting quickly due to the attack, spun around and swung a fist. With a whooshing sound, its log-like thick arm swung heavily and struck Number Nineteen's waist. The sheer force sent her fragile body, a quarter of the size of the monster's, flying like a cannonball, crashing into the rock wall and embedding deeply.

When Su Lun arrived, he just witnessed Number Nineteen being hurled through the air.

He also deduced that the speed of this Abomination Warrior was at least twice that of Holle before, and it was still getting stronger!

The body shattered the wall, a testament to the force behind the blow.

If that hit had landed on an ordinary person, even if it didn't kill, they'd certainly lose half their life.

But Number 19 seemed completely unaffected. The instant after the collision, the agile figure catapulted out of the crater and charged towards the oncoming abomination with knife swinging.

A mechanical warrior and an abominable warrior were locked in fierce combat again.

Both sides relied purely on physical attacks, neither felt pain, and both their styles were extremely brutal: fist to flesh, blade to flesh... it was enough to make one's scalp tingle.

Just a few exchanges in, and like human cannons, they bombarded the cavern walls with resounding "thuds", causing collapses and fractures everywhere.

From a distance, Su Lun watched quietly, not only did he not step in, but he also took care to hide his body even more.

Normally, with Number 19 engaging the abominable warrior, it would be the perfect opportunity for a sneak attack.

Against an unintelligent abomination, a single blade, at most two, could resolve the matter.

But he didn't make a move.

Because... seeing Holle's life-risking effort to stall Number 19, he was even more sure that the reinforcement from the Umbrella Organization would arrive shortly.

...

Su Lun figured that if he was right, and Umbrella Organization's reinforcements were on their way, then taking action now to kill the abominable warrior would reveal himself and the "Invisible Zombie".

That would put him in a very passive situation.

Even if he managed to escape this time, the next target of the Umbrella Organization's pursuit would increase from one to two.

Yet despite knowing reinforcements were coming, Su Lun didn't immediately evacuate.

First, he didn't want to lightly give up the abominable warrior's corpse that was within easy reach.

Second, he also felt that the situation hadn't yet reached a point where he must evacuate immediately.

Given the distance, the quickly arriving forces couldn't possibly be a large troop; it was most likely a powerful lone wanderer.

But the abominable warrior's hostility didn't differentiate between friends and foes. Once the enemy reinforcements arrived, it wasn't certain immediately who would win or lose, and it was most likely to turn into a three-way melee.

And Su Lun felt that it was precisely in such a chaotic fight that he would have a better chance to fish in troubled waters.

With his scythe in hand, maybe...

He could not only secure the abominable corpse but also pull a fast one on the "reinforcements"!

If his guess was wrong, and more than one enemy arrived,

it wouldn't be a big issue either.

Number 19 and the abomination could buy some time, and in this complex cave system, catching Su Lun—who could climb walls and burrow through holes with his eight-limbed spear—wouldn't be easy. With the right hiding spot chosen, retreating wouldn't be difficult.

So, what he was doing now, was calmly waiting for his opportunity.

...

Number 19 wanted to leave but was held back by the abomination and couldn't break free.

The battle between one ferocious creature and one freak had reached a fever pitch; one with a metal body indestructible, the other with self-healing flesh immortal, both engaged in a battle of attrition.

Suddenly, Su Lun's eyes narrowed, "They're here!"

In the cavernous passageways, sound traveled far.

He inclined his head to listen and keenly caught a series of "pop pop pop" sounds of air bursting, coming from the direction of the cave where they were arriving.

Anticipating that the newcomers were top-tier fighters, Su Lun didn't even dare use his gaze to look towards the direction of the sounds.

"Just afraid the other party might also possess a similar malicious sensing ability."

However, as the sound of movement drew closer, Su Lun suddenly detected something unusual.
Stay tuned with empire

It wasn't just the explosive sounds of frantic running and trampling, but also the "hissing" sound of jet propulsion devices accelerating.

"Jet propulsion devices?"

Su Lun was familiar with this sound because, during the combat with subject number nineteen, the joints would emit this kind of rushing air sound from time to time.

When he had previously analyzed the [PX-911 Mechanical Limb] he had acquired, he also discovered fuel propulsion devices similar to the air power units of jet engines. These propulsion devices, once charged, could provide mechanical warriors with explosive speeds and strength, perfectly suited for rapid assaults and travel.

Therefore,

he guessed that the newcomer was most likely another "mechanical warrior."

...

Su Lun listened carefully to the movements again, and as he had speculated, the "reinforcements" were coming alone.

Seeing this, he was in no hurry to evacuate.

After all, knowing that the newcomer was a mechanical warrior made the intel even clearer.

Unlike those magic-based professions with their bizarre abilities, always casting spells that were hard to predict and defend against. Mechanical warriors were strong, but their means of attack were limited, usually only physical.

Moreover, as they lacked flesh and blood, their sensory systems were simple, consisting of only "sight, hearing, taste, touch" – the four senses, immune to developing any odd sensory abilities.

From a certain perspective, the predictable factors had become much clearer.

Once the person arrived, Su Lun suppressed his breathing, crouching in a corner without daring to take a deep breath.

Although he knew mechanical warriors lacked any sort of "malicious sensing" ability, he still deliberately lowered his gaze, passively using his keen hearing to capture the movements of his target.

But to Su Lun's surprise, the anticipated three-way battle didn't happen.

When the "reinforcements" burst onto the scene, the Abomination Warrior didn't seem to attack him, and the situation immediately turned into a two-against-one!

Listening to the severe "thump, thump, thump" of impacts, the fight quickly went silent.

"That was fast..."

Su Lun deduced that the guy must have had a way to control the Abomination Warrior or make it not attack him.

However, even without a chaotic battle, it wasn't a big problem.

Because in Su Lun's view, "number nineteen" was just bait to distract the enemy, no matter by what means.

....

Su Lun heard the fight conclude and then carefully shifted his gaze upward.

Unnoticed, he let out a sigh of relief.

As his gaze slowly moved upward, he saw a young man in black military uniform standing in the corridor. Sharp as a finely honed sword, he exuded an oppressive sharpness that made one unwilling to look directly at him.

He was holding number nineteen by the neck with one hand, suspending her in the air.

But because number nineteen possessed great secrets, it seemed he was not intent on killing her immediately.

The military-uniformed man, also a mechanical warrior, was naturally very familiar with the construction of mechanical warriors. Without quite knowing what to do, he clamped down on number nineteen's wrist with one hand, gave a fierce twist and tug, and with a "snap", tore off her other arm.

Without her arms, number nineteen had completely lost any ability to resist.

The man in the uniform appeared to be relieved only then, adopting the poise of a victor, he spoke unhurriedly, "Number nineteen, ah, the legendary strongest mechanical warrior, an irreplicable combat genius, tsk tsk... It's a shame that the previous generation's PX811 mechanical limbs had quite a few design flaws..."

From his tone, Su Lun heard a thick layer of jealousy and scorn.

It was as if always being said to be second best in the world, and finally defeating the number one released that pent-up resentment.

The man in the military uniform saw that Number Nineteen had no reaction to his words and seemed to find it boring, so he stopped the idle talk and asked coldly, "Tell me, where is it?"

Number Nineteen stared expressionlessly at the man in the military uniform.

With her arms severed, she had already lost any chance of turning defeat into victory, and any struggle was in vain.

But at that moment, she suddenly made her move!

Being choked, she used the remaining strength in her legs to suddenly coil her waist and locked the man's arm with a rapid scissors kick, causing him to lose his balance.

The man in the military uniform saw that he was locked but far from shocked, a contemptuous smile appeared on his face, "Hmph! A futile struggle!"

An attack of such level could not possibly harm him at all.

But... the next second, he could no longer smile.

....

From a distance, Su Lun hidden on the rock wall witnessed this scene, and his gaze sharpened, "A smart choice!"

He knew very well that Number Nineteen's death-defying strangle attack was not meant to inflict much damage on the man in military uniform, but to create an opportunity for herself to attack!

Su Lun was not surprised that she had noticed his presence.

Super soldiers had definitely excellent hearing, and Su Lun knew that although he tried to conceal himself, following her all the way, she probably sensed something unusual. Those subtle movements, always keeping a certain distance, couldn't be made by the creatures in the cave.

Su Lun felt that Number Nineteen's combat state was very similar to his own, calm, rational, with no unnecessary emotions.

Therefore, Su Lun thought he could put himself in Number Nineteen's shoes, and she could certainly put herself in his.

If she had noticed the "Peeker," then after watching the show for so long, she must have figured out that the "Peeker" was not from the Umbrella organization.

Why was the Peeker there?

Naturally, it was to wait for an opportunity to kill and take advantage!

Moreover, now that another powerful mechanical soldier had arrived and he was still watching without retreating, it meant he had the capital to watch.

If Su Lun were Number Nineteen, thinking up to this point, he would definitely create an opportunity for that "Peeker" to attack.

After all, the situation couldn't get any worse.

Su Lun immediately understood her action and manipulated his invisible reanimated corpse to swing its scythe, chopping down at the man in the military uniform's neck!

....

Number Nineteen's arms were already severed, and even with her all-out lock, she had no means to inflict injury on the man in military uniform.

But that wasn't her intention, to begin with!

With that lock, she caused the man in military uniform to lose his balance. At that moment, when he couldn't leverage himself, suddenly a space rift appeared at an extremely tricky angle right across his neck.

With a "swish," that extreme silkiness brushed past, casually cutting a smooth slit even in the alloy neck.

The head bearing a look of astonishment fell to the ground, and both Number Nineteen and the headless body crashed down together.

And with the death of the man in military uniform, the nearby Abomination seemed to lose its control and went berserk.

But just as it prepared to rush forward, suddenly another space rift appeared, and an ugly head thudded to the ground, blood spurting eight meters high like a fountain.

After making two distant slashes, the newly created reanimated corpse that Su Lun controlled instantly disintegrated, and a cloud of blood mist exploded in the air.

Having killed the two formidable enemies, Su Lun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He picked up the fallen scythe and body bag and walked towards Number Nineteen and the two corpses.