Mechanical Alchemist

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In the fourth floor of the Void Academy library, Su Lun and dozens of members from the Dawn group were bustling around. They went carefully from room to room, stuffing nearly everything that could be taken into their storage spaces.

Countless precious alchemical tomes, manuscripts, ancient scrolls, as well as the instruments placed in the corridors, and even some murals, sculptures, and ornaments with special meanings were all cut and moved away into the storage spaces.

Su Lun had the highest level of access, and their plundering operation did not trigger any traps or accidents.

Fortunately, after they had emptied the entire library floor, no one came to stop them.

Only then did Su Lun heave a sigh of relief.

Obtaining this batch of invaluable books, the trip was well worth it.

He took the members who helped into the Mini Void Realm, and his thoughts became active again.

The battle in the void passages was now fierce, and it was not appropriate to join in.

Thinking it over, he opened the spatial staircase leading to the third floor of the library and descended.

The scenery changed all around him; he was now in the academy’s teaching district. At this moment, the shrill sound of the alarm echoed throughout the entire academy, as instructors organized the students to deal with the emerging creatures.

Su Lun released the black crow, which flew out the window to survey the situation.

The huge, mirror-like entrance to the plane’s passage in the distance had closed, with golden runes glowing brightly as if a woven net of symbols had ensnared the exit of the plane. But for some reason, countless void creatures had seeped through the cracks in that passage. They were a billion-strong swarm of void bugs, rolling in like a dust storm, killing on sight, with heart-wrenching screams everywhere in the academy, a sight akin to hell.

Su Lun watched, not at all surprised, as the Northern Fleet had explored here many times, and the plot’s direction was all too familiar.

The monsters currently in the academy’s grounds were not too strong, and could be killed with caution. But for low-tier professionals, those bugs were already deadly enough. Moreover, the troublesome part was their endless numbers.

In the next three days, increasingly powerful monsters would seep through those cracks.

While Su Lun was observing, the sound of breaking glass filled his ears.

On closer look, a swarm of "Void Dragonflies" smashed through the library’s glass ceiling like hail, buzzing into the room, starting to chase and brutally kill the frightened young students. These ugly bugs were not large but had nearly a meter-long proboscis that could easily pierce a bulletproof vest. They typically like to drill through a person’s skull and suck the marrow from their brains.

This information was already well-detailed within the Northern Fleet.

Seeing this, Su Lun pinched his sorcerer’s seals with both hands, and the portal to the Mini Void Realm opened, with the members of the Dawn group pouring out.

Lolota, Kama, Tanni, Abec, and the other members had been itching to show off their skills.

Upon emerging, they excitedly began to chatter.

"Wow... finally, a chance to stretch our muscles."

"Is this the void bug race? They look so disgusting..."

"Hahaha, there are so many books here, too; we’ve struck it rich this time. Mr. Su Lun, where to now?"

"Hmm, be careful, everyone. Stay within the library, and don’t wander off."

"Yes!"

Su Lun didn’t say much more and with a warning, the members scattered.

The first day is the best time to obtain some low-level void materials. The void invasion has just begun, and the monsters are not too strong, so the threat isn’t too great if one is careful.

Su Lun wasn’t interested in those materials but intended to empty the library.

The members divided into dozens of tactical teams and started scouring the library. A thousand members including higher-tier professionals like Barrett acted as a safety measure, following along.

Initially, Su Lun had planned to pay attention to the Northern Fleet’s actions in the future and find a way to acquire those basic void books. But now it seemed very likely that Major General Tatiana Lynn and her Magic Emperor’s Royal Mechanical Guard wouldn’t make it out alive. If he didn’t clean out the place in one go and raised the enemy’s alert, it was uncertain what would happen later.

Besides, having just obtained a bunch of high-level and top-level void books without the foundational knowledge was like building castles in the air.

With nothing else to do at the moment, he decided to take as much as he could.

...

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Everyone was busy in the library, where the NPCs were not particularly intelligent. After the void invasion, the NPCs were too preoccupied with fighting monsters to pay attention to some book thieves. Even if someone was caught, a simple excuse sufficed to explain the unusual act of hiding books in their storage rings.

Su Lun stood at a high point, unraveling the eight-limbed spire, with the crosses of the "Puppet Theatre" also floating in the sky.

He was like a hunting spider, having cast a vast net and waiting for his prey.

Countless threads spread throughout the library, and the physically fragile void insect tribes came in swarms, crashing into the net and raining down dead, their bodies providing materials.

This also ensured the maximum safety of the Dawn Group’s members.

While everyone was searching for all sorts of texts, Su Lun also pondered the next steps in his plan: whether to enter the planar passageway again for further exploration.

He had previously made some incorrect judgments due to misleading information.

He did not want to make the same mistakes again.

Su Lun connected all the clues in his mind and analyzed them.

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After much thought, he reached the same conclusion: now was the best opportunity for action.

If this exploration were to end here, then the next time they entered, the situation they’d face would not be better than the current one.

Skipped was only the step of gathering clues, but they would still need to go to Laboratory Zero and release the "Bilateral Worm."

After all, without releasing the monsters to trigger the "void invasion," the main event, the old dean and that monster would not start fighting. Without chaos, they would not be able to seize the fortunes within the planar passageway.

Moreover, if Mafa and his people died in the cursed space this time, the North Sea Fleet would undoubtedly be on guard. They would find it harder to sneak in next time without knowing when they could.

Thinking this, Su Lun still felt he needed to seize this opportunity.

....

The number of void monsters in the academy district increased, and the instructors were all blocking the entrance to the void rift to slay monsters, so the students fought within the district, with fierce battles happening everywhere.

In contrast, the situation inside the library was relatively peaceful; members of the Dawn Group were injured, but it was not a big problem.

Su Lun’s threads were very effective against those void insect tribes, cutting through them like harvesting leeks, wave after wave. Even when a few higher-tier monsters appeared, they could kill them instantly.

A few hours later, the members of the Dawn Group had almost scoured the library, and they had gathered a pile of materials. Su Lun brought everyone into the minor void realm and then waited on the fourth floor of the library.

The void invasion was like a crack in an undersea tunnel, allowing marine life and seawater to surge in. Enjoy more content from novelbuddy

With space becoming increasingly unstable, it was very dangerous for those who had not mastered the Space Law. For high-tier professionals like Qian Tao and Barrett, who possessed strong intrinsic energy, it was even worse. Any fighting within the spatial passageway might result in being sucked into a spatial rift at any moment.

Su Lun was not in a hurry to leave and spent a few more hours on the fourth floor of the library, discussing tactics with the Dawn Group. Occasionally, he went to check on the battle within the planar passageway. Seeing that the fighting was still fierce, he would retreat and hide.

It must be said that the combat strength of those mechanical warriors from Mafa was truly extraordinary.

Especially in a battle of position, more than a hundred mechanical warriors found a solid laboratory and took out all sorts of mechanical equipment, forging an iron-like defensive position. If it weren’t for the opponents being monsters capable of Void Displacement, ordinary enemies would likely not be able to breach their defenses.

However, no matter how fierce they were or how strong their firepower, ammunition was limited, while the number of monsters was endless.

Additionally, as the number of third and fourth-tier void monsters in the planar passageway slowly increased, the casualties of Mafa’s group also mounted.

Void abilities naturally countered mechanical equipment, and armor that even fifth or sixth-tier magical beasts could not break could easily be penetrated by second or third-tier void monsters.

Su Lun timed the situation and, ten hours after the void invasion began, he entered the planar passageway once more.

Past intelligence suggested that in about two hours, a second wave of large-scale monster tides would appear.

He couldn’t wait for the void monsters to annihilate Mafa’s group before venturing out.

After all, if the monsters that could annihilate those well-equipped mechanical warriors could also most likely annihilate the Dawn Group. And if the bodies were consumed by the insects, they would lose their intel.

Su Lun decided to make an early visit and harvest those surviving individuals.

...

The great battle within the planar passageway was still intense but no longer had the initial scale of bursting fireworks all over.

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It was now clear that everyone in the passage had gathered in several dozen laboratories belonging to some of the top professionals.

Some have said that the Void was like an even vaster ocean, nurturing countless bizarre creatures.

Su Lun was truly amazed by the sight of the monsters identified before him.

The species mentioned in the intelligence from the Northern Fleet probably didn’t even make up one percent. The diversity of species in this Void passage was truly dazzling.

Perhaps because there was no gravity field, those creatures all had strange appearances; tentacles, huge mouths, dense tumors, serrated fangs... Almost all the standard features of Void creatures.

There were even hundreds of types of just the Void worms alone.

Fortunately, Su Lun had read about them in that "Herbert Hillbilly’s" notebook and with the All-knowing Eye, he also knew a lot about the habits and methods of attack of many creatures, which greatly reduced their threat.

Following the sound of gunfire, Su Lun found his way to where the group from Magia were holed up, their mechanical soldiers cornered in their positions.

Of the more than a hundred mechanical soldiers, only about twenty were still gasping for life, and bodies were strewn everywhere, the living also covered in wounds.

After fighting continuously for several hours, both equipment and people were operating far beyond their capacities.

The position had been inundated with tons of shells, and broken firearms and heavy guns littered the ground.

The Void creatures currently besieging them were a group of "Gold-Eating Dragon Lice," gigantic insects with thick carapaces that could ignore alchemical bullets. It usually took several shots at vital spots like the eyes to kill one with firearms. However, the monsters had sharp attacks—their jaws could easily gnaw through steel plates, which they consumed. Once they got close, even mechanical armor couldn’t withstand much chewing.

Major General Tatiana Lynn, in her fiery red "Major-General Grade Magi-Blade X1 Model Mechanical Armor," wielded her Magical Energy Magma Python Knife with increasing caution. A little too much energy input, and it was all too easy to whip out a web-like spatial crack. Severely limited, these people were at the end of their tether.

Su Lun had also been waiting for this moment.

Seeing that it was this type of insect, he too breathed a sigh of relief, luck was not on Magia’s side.

He took out his rune-covered black umbrella, and thousands of resentful spirits swirled around him.

The insects’ weak point was their spiritual power defense, and the black umbrella’s piercing psychic attack was exceptionally effective. It might not kill many insects, but at least it kept those almost instinct-driven creatures from daring to approach.

Su Lun dashed over quickly, with hardly any effort.

The people from Magia also saw him, and with the bitterness of meeting their nemesis, they greeted him with a barrage of cannon fire.

Su Lun neither dodged nor avoided, summoning a gargoyle to shield himself.

With space already highly unstable, the gargoyle could only serve as a shield, avoiding combat as much as possible to prevent causing spatial cracks.

Even the black scythe was too dangerous for Su Lun to use; its high-intensity Death Law was capable of slicing open spatial cracks on the outside, and here, it could have been a one-strike mutual destruction effect.

Without these two trump cards, it was almost impossible for him to finish off the group from Magia.

But now he seemed to have a better tactic up his sleeve.

After the gargoyle blocked a round of cannon fire, Su Lun teleported several meters, with a single-hand sorcerer’s seal quickly forming a black hole in his palm.

The moment the black hole formed, a domineering Thunderous Sword Qi burst from his palm, cutting through the air.

Though it was Sword Qi, it slashed with an effect nearly akin to "Xiupunos’s Night Scythe"!

As soon as the black hole emerged, the purple thunder Sword Qi suddenly turned into a spatial crack, rushing towards the mechanical shield position of Magia.

Su Lun quickly teleported back to avoid the strong suction of the Sword Qi breaking through space.

Almost instantly, the Sword Qi cleaved through what had been an impenetrable mechanical shield, even slicing in half two frontline mechanical soldiers clad in heavy armor.

"Haha... it worked!"

A surge of joy in Su Lun’s heart.

This strike was naturally unleashed by Qienna; wielding such a forceful Sword Qi would have put her in grave danger. But in this dimensional channel, Su Lun’s "Mini Void World" could handle it; that realm had very stable space.

On the contrary, this strike became even more powerful due to the spatial crack. With the crack amplifying the armor-piercing effect to the max!

A single strike had broken the positions of the Magic Emperor’s forces, and Su Lun advanced further, raising his hand to release from the black hole in his palm what this time was an explosive punch.

This was Barrett’s signature technique—the "Ape Sky Strike"!

Despite the distance of a hundred meters, the near seventh-tier professional’s full-force punch suddenly landed amidst the group of the Magic Emperor’s forces as if a bomb had detonated, causing a violent "boom" along with intense spatial fluctuations. The twenty-plus mechanical warriors, along with Major General Tatiana Lynn, were all sent flying.

The sight was horrific, akin to a mirror shattering; the punch, carrying with it spatial shaking, had actually caused the mechanical armor of the Magic Emperor’s forces to crack. Many armors went offline in an instant.

...

In fact, Su Lun had no deep hatred for these people; it was simply that their opposing factions made them enemies.

Seeing the effectiveness of his move, he had no intention of going easy, continuously releasing Sword Qi and punch strength from the black hole in his hand.

The forces of the Magic Emperor were immediately scattered.

But once the battle formation was broken, they had to face various monsters, and casualties occurred immediately. In just a few encounters, only a few of the twenty-plus people remained alive.

By the fifth punch, the fiery red armor’s visor belonging to the Major General shattered, revealing Major General Tatiana Lynn’s tragically beautiful face, which now only held despair.

Without her armor, this Magic Emperor’s Major General might not even have the strength of a fifth-tier professional.

Seeing the resoluteness in the woman’s eyes, Su Lun did not give her a chance to self-destruct, releasing a spiritual power shockwave instantly.

The moment Tatiana’s gaze stiffened, Su Lun had already appeared beside her. With a flick of his finger, a sharp thread cut off her head.

’You have stripped the soul of "Tatiana Lynn"’

’You have gained a large amount of "Mechanical Armor-related Knowledge," mechanical experience +6665’

’You have obtained incomplete blueprints for "Major General-level Magical Blade X1-type Mechanical Armor," "Colonel-level Shark Hunter Armor," "Lieutenant Colonel-level Fire God B-type Armor"...’

’You have come to know some intelligence: "I was secretly ordered by the military to constantly monitor and report on the transactions between the North Sea Fleet and the Magic Emperor. Princess Stika seems to have noticed and is thinking of eliminating me..."’

’You have acquired some detailed information about the "Magic Emperor’s Royal Mechanical Warfare Academy"’

’You have acquired detailed information about the "Magic Emperor’s Seventh Military Factory," "Royal Shipyard"’

’You have acquired intelligence in "The Investigative Team’s Files": I have placed all my research findings and secrets in the "Laboratory Zero" TII experimental area; you will know once you see it. Be careful, the Academy’s people will certainly hinder you...’

’...’

This was the first high-ranking Magic Emperor officer whose soul Su Lun had stripped, and just upon contact with that "mist," he knew this was an unexpectedly great harvest!

Once he had assimilated those memories, Su Lun’s face was unable to hide the sparkling gleam of excitement.

He had thought this woman was merely a military professional, who would at most yield some disparate mechanical knowledge. But she turned out to also be a former military instructor and senior mechanical lecturer at the Magic Emperor’s Royal Mechanical Academy, with too many top-secret mechanical knowledge and blueprints of warships and mechanical armors in her head.

It was precisely because she was an all-around talent in technology and combat that she had been chosen by the Magic Emperor to accompany Princess Stika here, tasked with submarine defense.

"Hit the jackpot!"

Su Lun felt it was completely unexpected.

Mechanical armor blueprints were a top-secret strategic resource of the Magic Emperor, impossible to find elsewhere, yet he had harvested so much all at once.

The Magic Emperor’s military had also done an excellent job keeping it a secret. Even the nearly hundred Mechanics they had captured in the submarine were only experts in their respective fields, such as weaponry, skeleton, armor, kinetic boilers... each specializing in only one or two areas. Almost none had the complete blueprints for high-tier mechanical armors.

Very few people within the Magic Emperor’s inner circle were aware, let alone outsiders.

But unexpectedly, the Magic Emperor wasn’t monolithic. The military and the royal family also seemed to have a gap, and there were factions within; that was why the Princess Stika had sent such a talent to explore the cursed space.

This turned out to be to the advantage of Su Lun, an outsider.

....

Now that "The Investigative Team’s Files" were also in his hands, Su Lun quickly cleaned up the battlefield, then rushed toward "Laboratory Zero".