Mechanical Alchemist

Su Lun agreed to the trade with number nineteen.

But since the task of inscribing runes on the undead soldier couldn't be delayed, he didn't stop working.

Number nineteen quietly watched from the side.

Neither of them spoke for a while.

Soon enough, the task was completed successfully.

Having become very proficient at it, it didn't take Su Lun much time to finish drawing the runes on the abomination warrior's body.

What gave him a bit of satisfaction was that once the runes were drawn, the corpse's vital signs stabilized.

It meant that he had successfully created a "Hateful Undead"!

He tested it with a sharp dagger; the muscle resilience was very strong. After forcefully piercing it, the exaggerated regeneration ability worked as it did when it was alive, instantly healing the wound.

Seeing this, Su Lun let out a long breath.

This little excursion had truly turned into a treasure hunt.

Chekhov, who initially wrote the "Research Diary on the Undead," was focused on normally reviving humans, so he probably didn't imagine that a specially mutated "Abomination Warrior" could also be turned into an undead.

With this "Hateful Undead," the Black Scythe became a superweapon in Su Lun's hands.

....

Su Lun finished tinkering with the undead, its body over three meters tall and holding a two-meter black scythe; it was a terrifying and perfect match!

Since number nineteen already knew about the two sealed items in his possession, he didn't specifically hide them and then wrapped the corpse and scythe together with the burial cloth.

Although number nineteen was indeed aware of the information, she had also witnessed the body and scythe effortlessly slay an enemy who was also a mechanical warrior.

But now, watching that huge hateful undead and the black scythe disappear from view, she still showed a trace of astonishment.

It was hard to imagine who could withstand this "invisible assassin" if they were unprepared.

Number nineteen spoke with a complex expression, "Inside intelligence from the Umbrella Organization mentioned that you have a method to wield the 'Xiupunos's Night Black Scythe' without fearing backlash, so this is it..."

Su Lun didn't elaborate further, as without the knowledge from the "Research Diary on the Undead," knowing about it was meaningless to others.

Now that his business was taken care of, it was time to start the trade.

He took out the mechanical corpse of the man in military outfit and asked, "How do you want to replace your mechanical limbs? My knowledge in mechanics isn't that profound; I can barely be considered an intermediate Mechanic..."

"That's enough."

Number nineteen seemed pleasantly surprised when she heard Su Lun say he was an intermediate Mechanic.

She continued, "For installation, you don't need too advanced mechanical basics. However, this is a 'strength-type mechanical limb,' which doesn't match my design frame very well, and since it's a new generation of mechanics, some parts need to be modified to barely fit... There are materials in my storage ring, and some parts also need to be dismantled from that severed arm for replacement..."

Su Lun also noticed that the mechanical skeletal framework of the man in military outfit was one size larger and very different from number nineteen's. Curious, he asked, "Strength-type? The limbs used by mechanical warriors have different types?"

Number nineteen briefly explained, "Yes. There are 'PZ strength-type' and 'PX skill-type' models, focusing on different combat styles."

One could probably guess the difference between the two models just by hearing their names. Su Lun suddenly thought of the smaller-sized limbs in his storage ring, but also felt they were not quite the same as the number nineteen's, and asked, "Is it the [PX-911 Mechanical Limbs] that you need?"

Number nineteen shook his head. "No, although the PX series are all skill-type. But mine is an old version, the [PX-811], so I need to replace some parts."

"Oh…"

Thinking it over, Su Lun then said, "Then could you install the [PX-911 Mechanical Limbs]?"

"???"

Number nineteen listened and was momentarily stunned, not quite understanding what he meant.

As Su Lun spoke, he took out some [PX-911] parts and said, "What I mean is... I accidentally came across a set of [PX-911 Mechanical Limbs] some time ago, and I have no use for it. I dismantled it a bit, but it should still be intact. If you need this model, I think it would be better to switch to this one."

Seeing the parts that Su Lun took out, number nineteen was also bewildered for a moment, feeling an incredible surprise fall from the sky, "The 911 is this year's latest model of mechanical limbs... you actually got a set?"

Su Lun simply added, "Yeah. It was the day you blew up the western city laboratory; I accidentally intercepted a transport vehicle and found this mechanical limb. If you need it, we can include it in the trade."

"Mm."

Although number nineteen's expression remained unchanged, the tone of his voice clearly fluctuated with emotion, "If it's that set, of course it would be better."

Su Lun didn't particularly care either, as keeping the military corpse with the head was even more suitable for research. He asked, "How should I help you change the limbs now?"

Number nineteen lay flat on the floor and said, "First fix up one of my mechanical arms for me, then I can help out too."

Su Lun asked, "Should I start by dismantling the alloy breastplate from your chest cavity?"

Number nineteen answered, "Mm."

....

Number nineteen was a cybernetic warrior, but other than the shoulder joints of her severed arms where mechanical parts could be seen, there was no difference between her and a real person elsewhere. The bionic skin was very delicately made; you could even see pores and blood vessels.

Of course, some sporadic damage also revealed the metallic shine that oozed out.

Having dismantled mechanical limbs for detailed research before, Su Lun wasn't unskilled with the tools and got right to work.

"Dismantling the alloy breastplate will wreck your clothes, should I cut them?"

"Yes. Just go ahead and do it."

The tone of both of them was very calm, with no unnecessary fluctuations of emotion to be heard.

Number nineteen was wearing a black Gothic-style jumpsuit with a large area of lace openwork at the chest, which, even when lying down, maintained a proud curve.

As her limbs were mechanical, her body proportion was crafted according to the golden ratio, whether it was the waist-to-hip ratio or the leg-to-body ratio; everything looked perfect. Especially the line of her buttocks, high enough to make her big white legs in the black high-heeled boots appear particularly long, giving off a very three-dimensional, pert, and round appearance.

Su Lun showed no change in expression on his face as he calmly cut open the black dress.

The "snip, snip" of scissors cutting fabric was unusually clear in the gloomy dungeon.

As Su Lun cut through the clothes, the accidental touch of his fingers on number nineteen's bionic skin was tight and resilient, feeling just like that of real human skin.

This was his first contact with such a high-grade material.

As a novice Alchemy Magician, he was naturally curious about this material. The skin felt like latex yet was tough enough, with a smooth touch between the fingers.

Looking intently, it became apparent that there were many alchemy techniques and black technologies that were still incomprehensible.

From her chest, to her lower abdomen, then to her skirt.

Until the damaged mechanical body was completely exposed to the air...

And then there were the lace undergarments hugging her body.

Just before cutting them, Su Lun thought the body beneath her clothes would just have the shape with some curves, with no special details. He didn't expect that after cutting the clothes completely, it would resemble a real human body in every way.

If it weren't for the damaged areas, this well-proportioned body could almost be called a flawless work of art.

Number Nineteen seemed to anticipate Su Lun's curiosity and without avoiding it, introduced in a calm tone, "There's nothing strange about it. Bionic limbs were initially invented to fulfill certain special desires of men. Also, in order to avoid easy exposure during missions, our mechanical warriors are designed to look no different from normal humans."

"Oh."

Su Lun said, his eyebrows slightly raised.

Suddenly, he made sense of some of the rune traces on the skin, and asked, "Can this bionic skin achieve optical invisibility?"

Number Nineteen didn't shy away from the question and replied, "Yes. It's made of light-absorbing materials, which have a high magic resistance and toughness. Optical invisibility is just one of its functions."

"Oh."

Su Lun asked a few more questions curiously but didn't say much else.

He felt the mechanical fastenings beneath the bionic skin and began disassembling the alloy plates with his hands.

"Can the bionic skin be destroyed?"

"Yes."

Su Lun asked and then started working.

His gaze didn't show any unusual emotional fluctuations despite her being naked; no different from when he disassembled mechanical limbs in the basement before.

Both of them were quite calm about it.

Watching him work so skillfully, Number Nineteen commented, "Your technique is proficient. I thought you would need my guidance."

Su Lun replied, "I've disassembled and studied them before, so I roughly remember..."

"What energy source do mechanical warriors consume?"

"Curse crystals. If it's high-intensity combat, then Top-quality Crystals are required."

"Do you have any need for food on a regular basis?"

"The brain requires essential sugars for energy, so some nutrient solution is supplemented usually."

"How are nerves connected to the machinery? Is it technology or some special alchemy graft?"

"Both. But even the Black Tower has not mastered the technology for nerve-to-machine connections now. Later, some special substances were extracted from 'X Serum', which made the 'Super Soldier Project' possible. Even so, large-scale modifications still cause very strong rejection of the mechanical limbs by the human body. Thus, the number of super soldiers has always been small.

I was the only one who survived from the first batch of experiments, with perhaps less than a three in a thousand chance..."

"Oh. The people you killed, were they all related to the 'X Serum Project'? Before coming here, I heard you killed an intelligence officer named Haus..."

"Yes. Illegal population collection, that was Haus..."

"..."

Su Lun operated while casually chatting with Number Nineteen.

He was very curious about the construction of mechanical warriors. Now that a complete one was analyzed, he asked every question that came to mind.

He also inquired about the details of her crimes and some inside secrets of the Black Tower.

As they talked, time flew quickly.

Originally, it was just to replace two arms, but now with a whole set of new model mechanical limbs available, he decided to replace the legs and the body too.

Shortly after, Su Lun had replaced Number Nineteen's two arms. Then, as she was able to help with some mechanical parts by herself, they worked in tacit understanding. In less than two hours, most of the limbs were replaced.

Only some precision parts and damaged bionic skin remained, which would take some time to process. Number Nineteen said she could manage on her own.

Su Lun also handed over the bionic skin he had stripped off the military-clad male corpse to her.

....

Perhaps because they had chatted for so long, they had grown much more familiar with each other.

When Number Nineteen stood up again, her face no longer bore the indifferent expression of a robot she had when they first met, and her words and actions exuded friendliness.

She tried moving her new PX911 model mechanical limbs. There was no stiffness. Despite her arms still being the bare metal skeletal limbs, she seemed quite pleased.

She felt satisfied.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. It was the deal we agreed upon."

"Let me give you another piece of intelligence. If you're going to Dawn City, you might want to be more cautious. There are many members of the Umbrella organization there. I intercepted some secret intelligence before, 'Dawn City Ruins' were discovered because a Big Shot from outside the tower went searching for some legendary altar, and it was found accidentally.

The news got out because the upper echelons of the Black Tower wanted it so. Besides exploiting the ruins, Duke Raphael seems to be looking for something in those ruins... Soon after, the Inner City will also organize a large-scale wilderness hunt, and more high-ranking professionals will come..."

"A Big Shot from outside the tower?"

"Yes. There's no more detailed information in the intelligence. Only that it came via the Duke's manor, seeming to be from a young lord."

"..."

Upon hearing this news, Su Lun suddenly realized who was putting out the bounty for the "original host."

The two said no more.

As they were parting, Number Nineteen thought for a moment and added,

"I owe you a favor this time. If we meet again, I will repay you."

"Yeah."

Su Lun watched her disappear into the depths of the cave and then turned to leave.

PS. Thanks to the friends who helped spot errors, you've been a great help to the lousy chicken author, thank you very much.