Mechanical Alchemist

Chapter 174: Puppetry Technique: Hundred Deceptive Night Walk

Su'en listened to the tactics being laid out through the communicator, a hint of amusement flickering across his face.

Julian?

That name, of course, belonged to the "Dream Thief" Julian Williams.

A mysterious practitioner skilled in mental illusions, his abilities were somewhat similar to those of the Weeping Witch, capable of inducing hypnosis and killing in dreams.

She was also one of the elders of the "Mystical Studies Association" in Old Lingdun.

...

Hearing this name through the communicator, Su'en knew what those people behind him were planning.

He glanced back and saw that among the seven pursuers, two guards had positioned themselves beside a purple-robed female sorceress.

Because casting the dream-making spell required full concentration and left no room for dodging attacks, this move was probably also out of fear that Su'en would suddenly produce a black scythe, allowing his companions to save her in time.

Su'en widened the gap between them.

But he knew that he couldn't avoid the spell; distancing himself was just to prevent being pursued when it was time to kill in the dream.

Second-tier professionals all had one or two strange cursed items in their possession.

Especially the experts nurtured by great financial conglomerates like the Oliver family, they were never short of good stuff.

Su'en's intelligence had informed him that the "Dream Thief" Julian had a special cursed item that was highly compatible with her abilities, the "Angus's Dream Refraction Mirror."

An item that could cast mental spells from a distance through its reflection.

Just as the female sorceress took out the mirror, Su'en threw a bunch of mechanical spiders onto the ground.

Unlike the previous smoke spiders, these had special markings.

After this small action, he looked again and saw that not far from him, the outline of an ancient mirror had already been projected.

...

He was hit without any sign.

The surroundings remained unchanged, still within the ruins.

Anyone else might not have realized they had fallen into an illusion.

Su'en looked down at the movement of his fingers and a sneer appeared in his eyes: "So I'm dreaming, huh..."

The sorcerer's methods of the Mystical branch were unpredictable, especially that mirror capable of casting mental spells from afar, which was impossible to avoid. If it were anyone else, just Julian alone would have been a great disadvantage.

Su'en didn't show any abnormalities and continued running in the dream.

At that moment.

The robed sorceress behind him caught up.

A mental practitioner not adept at pursuit suddenly seemed to teleport, catching up in flashes.

Because this was her dream, she could have everything.

Since Su'en knew this was a dream created by the enemy.

He didn't attempt to fight the woman.

Julian was the creator of this dream; she was the master of it, invincible here.

Normally, the script would have Su'en unknowingly trapped in the dream, then starting to fight back.

But soon, he would find in horror that guns couldn't kill, spears couldn't pierce... no method worked.

While the opponent could slowly torture him to death.

It was a bug; in the opponent's dream, you simply couldn't kill her,

But it was easy for her to kill you.

Although there was a time difference in the dream, Su'en didn't plan to waste time with the "Dream Thief" Julian.

If physical means couldn't harm her, then mental tactics would be used.

The spell "Dreamspace" was almost certain to hit.

But that didn't mean the spell had no weaknesses.

Generally speaking, with any spell, one could only focus on either "range" or "spell strength."

Maintaining such a wide-ranging dream spell meant it was impossible to use any powerful single-target mental attacks.

You're proficient in mental spells?

Coincidentally, so am I.

Although Su'en was barely a novice in the basic theory of mental spell cultivation, he had bizarrely mastered several high-level sorcerer spells, such as "Illusion: Drowning" and "Illusion: Suffocation."

These were skills he had scrounged from the "1911 Hotel," and his proficiency had even reached the "Master Level" of second-tier spells.

Plus, his own mental strength was not weak. Although he couldn't scientifically control it, he had a large capacity.

It was the moment Julian caught up, their eyes met, and they clashed with "visual illusions."

"Ah..."

Julian screamed in agony.

Although Su'en also felt a bit dizzy, he was fortunate not to be at a disadvantage.

...

It was during this brief clash that an explosion sounded right by Su'en's ear.

Looking again, the dream had been shattered, and not far away, Julian, as if heavily injured, plummeted to the ground.

Boom...

After all, it was a pursuit, and those behind him had to follow Su'en's path if they wanted to catch up.

This time's spider bombs were not some alchemical mist but high-explosive bombs.

Although he didn't expect to kill these second-tier professionals, it was enough to pose a threat to them.

As dozens of spiders exploded, a wall of fire also formed in the distance, blocking the line of sight between the two parties.

Su'en pulled from his hat, and an invisible puppet immediately appeared beside him.

Then, without hesitation, he slashed three times towards the flames of the explosion.

Although the fire obscured the enemy's vision for a moment, as well as his own, the strike was not entirely a guess.

Su'en knew the location of the spider bombs and the range of the explosion.

So under normal circumstances, if you find a bomb on the left, which way would you dodge?

Naturally, to the right!

The explosion came first, followed by the slash, leaving no time for reaction.

He predicted where the enemy would appear after dodging the explosion, and those three slashes sealed off a large area behind the flames. Anyone appearing there would surely be hit by the blade.

Moreover, the figure he aimed at was dragging along a mentally stricken Julian!

Crows still cawed in the sky,

The executive "Blood Crow" Langfero from the Crow Gang noticed Su'en's movements, and a shout came through the communicator: "Watch out for the black scythe!"Unfortunately, it was already too late.

As the voice fell, three spatial rifts had precisely appeared behind the flames.

Although one of the three spatial rifts missed, the two that hit their mark sliced through the unconscious Julian and sheared off the leg of the melee professional who tried to save her, causing blood to spurt out like a fountain.

Even without seeing the "Grey Mist" appear, these three strikes had effectively eliminated two second-tier professionals from the pursuit team.

...

Su'en glanced back but did not continue to strike.

With both of them severely injured, they posed no threat; there was no need to waste the opportunity for the undead to strike.

The abhorrent undead had appeared, and there was no need to retract the strikes, for in that instant, its body was covered in revealing powder, and its towering figure was outlined by the silver dust.

Seeing the undead emerge, the remaining five felt not fear but relief.

"How did Su'en avoid the illusion?!"

"Damn it, he must have some cursed object that wards off psychic attacks! Forget the wounded for now, keep pursuing. His black scythe has appeared; he's out of tricks!"

"Now that his puppet is visible, be careful, avoid his slashes and fire gun, and he's no threat!"

"Prepare to execute Plan C! Hold him off on your end, reinforcements are almost here..."

"..."

Listening to the messages in the communicator, a playful look appeared in Su'en's eyes.

After such a long chase, the reinforcements were finally closing in.

Not counting 'Gun King' Geiger, ten second-tier pursuers, three dead, two severely wounded, and five remaining.

But the 'Trickster' Lloyd he was waiting for had yet to show up.

Su'en knew that the man was busy directing the forces surrounding the ruins.

Now, with the black scythe by his side, the remaining few dared not approach.

But what they didn't expect was that even with the addition of such a bulky invisible puppet, Su'en's speed had not slowed in the slightest.

And then, as they pursued, they were surprised to find that Su'en had led them in a big circle and had come back.

"No good! He's going back to kill Julian and the others!"

"Seeking death! If he kept running, we might not have caught him, but now he's asking for it. Notify the encircling troops to converge on us! Prepare the spatial seal!"

"..."

Indeed.

Su'en had circled back.

He was still concerned about those two severely injured second-tier professionals.

One with a broken leg, the other unconscious, they were easy pickings, a waste to let go.

As Su'en approached, he saw the one with the broken leg treating his wound.

Not too famous, but a professional bodyguard from the Oliver family, apparently named Johnson.

Even for a second-tier professional, a wound like a severed leg could cause enough blood loss in an instant to weaken him, especially during intense activity with high blood pressure.

Now... that man, seeing Su'en return, had eyes filled with terror.

Although he had heard the news ten seconds earlier, with his leg broken, he had no chance to escape.

Su'en ran over and blew away the unconscious 'Dream Thief' Julian with a shot, reaping a wave.

Then Johnson, who had intended to feign weakness and launch a sneak attack, didn't expect Su'en's melee skills to be just as strong.

Although Su'en rarely engaged in hand-to-hand combat, having stripped so many people of their combat memories, his fighting skills had reached the level of a "Combat Expert." With the body modified by "X Serum," if it came to a direct fight, Johnson might not necessarily win against him.

Moreover, his enhanced hearing and vision made it impossible for him to be ambushed by someone with a broken leg and severe injuries.

The ambush failed, and after a brief struggle, Su'en stabbed the man to death with a few thrusts.

However, due to the delay, the five pursuers had caught up.

Su'en was not in a hurry to leave, stripping the souls and collecting the storage rings of the two men.

Because, by then, it was too late to escape.

The enemy's encirclement was closing in.

Looking towards the distant buildings, a group of about a hundred well-equipped troops appeared on the opposite side. The streets near the ruins suddenly surged with dense purple light, like beams from a projector, casting several purple screens.

Then, a huge hexagram formation lit up in the sky, and the purple screens closed in, forming a deep purple "big box" hundreds of meters high and wide, enveloping a large area nearby.

Su'en, seeing himself trapped, was not surprised in the least. He raised an eyebrow, looked at the purple screens, and chuckled, "Tsk tsk... a spatial lockdown barrier, huh."

Now, with his mastery of spatial abilities, he could clearly feel the strength of this barrier.

It was strong, impervious to gunfire.

Even a third-tier powerhouse might not be able to break it.

He had already heard the enemy's battle plan; this spatial barrier could only be opened from the outside. Moreover, a strict order had been given that it would not be opened until Danze Junior arrived with the main force.

It meant that only one side could survive in this space.

Of course, this was exactly what he wanted.

No one could escape; it was time for a showdown.

Oh, no!

It was the enemy who couldn't escape; it had no effect on Su'en.

This kind of spatial barrier was like a glass cover, not a reinforcement of space.

If Su'en wanted to leave, he could just open a spatial door.

Of course, he stayed because he didn't plan to leave.

Having finally gathered the fish together, why not cast a net?

...

Su'en was like a turtle in a jar, and the people from the Oliver family were no longer in a hurry, slowly closing in.

Of course, what they feared most was Su'en's desperate counterattack.

After all, with the black scythe in hand, if he were to lash out in desperation, no one dared to take it lightly.

A siege that was almost certain to succeed, no one expected such heavy losses.

Ten second-tier experts participated in the hunt, and now only five were alive.

The faces of the remaining people were all very grim.At that moment, not far away, a dwarf with a sullen face appeared. It was none other than the master of puppetry, the "Magician" Lloyd.

If anyone hated Su'en the most, aside from Danze Junior, whose opportunity had been stolen, it would be him.

A respected master who turned out to be an ugly dwarf completely shattered the image of his esteemed status.

Su'en mentioned to Sabina that ever since this guy's alchemical puppet was destroyed, he hadn't shown his face in public, probably too ashamed to meet anyone.

In the brief moment he showed himself, the sorcerer's seal in his hand had already solidified.

Once his bio-armor was released, black threads began to emerge from his body...

In the sky, the hexagram formation slowly lit up, and a massive cross suddenly materialized.

Su'en had seen this routine before and was naturally familiar with it.

He also knew that using a barrier to limit space was not only to prevent his escape but also to maximize Lloyd's abilities.

Just like the time they ambushed the "Wailing Witch," within a certain range, Lloyd's [Arcanum: Puppet Theater] was almost unsolvable.

Su'en squinted at the cross in the sky and muttered to himself, "I'm quite envious of that arcanum..."

The biggest purpose of today's elaborate setup was to target this very man.

......

Perhaps feeling confident in his victory, Lloyd didn't rush to act and began to persuade, "Boy, give up resisting, and perhaps I might spare your life!"

"Ha ha ha..."

Su'en cracked a smile upon hearing this.

The words were not false.

If possible, they indeed wanted to capture him alive.

After all, there were too many secrets on him, and young master Danze was very curious.

For instance, how Su'en could use the Black Scythe without side effects...

If he really died, that might remain an eternal mystery.

Being stared at maliciously by over a hundred people felt like a sharp spear piercing Su'en's head, causing him pain.

The enemy numbered over a hundred, and he dared not underestimate them.

Just a glance over, and there were thirty to forty professionals who had released their bio-armor.

Even the non-professionals were equipped with sophisticated mechanical gear.

Clearly, this was the Oliver family's elite team.

Not to mention the spellcasters, mechanical sorcerers, and mystic sorcerers, just over a hundred muskets and cannons firing in unison would be enough to bring Su'en to his knees on the spot.

Why call so many people?

Of course, it was to act as cannon fodder!

There was only one Black Scythe, capable of striking only once at a time, and with the curse backlash, it was impossible to use the Black Scythe to kill over a hundred people, right?

In the interval between strikes, the attacks of over a hundred people would be enough to overwhelm him.

Seeing that Su'en had no intention of surrendering, Lloyd coldly said, "Boy, I'll give you one last chance. Surrender within three breaths, or else you will be shown no mercy!"

He spoke as if persuading, but his vigilance did not relax in the slightest.

Because the SS-ranked fugitive before him was too calm.

The mind of a professional who could advance to the second tier was never simple.

From the very beginning, they suspected there was something fishy.

Su'en had the chance to escape but returned for the spoils of two corpses and then got trapped?

Although Lloyd felt this was somewhat related to their "foolproof" plan, something still seemed off.

If he were really that "greedy," he would never have survived until now.

The most likely possibility was that "Su'en" had some life-saving trick up his sleeve.

But... with the situation as it was, what could he possibly do?

......

With over a hundred eyes watching, even if Su'en could fly, his wings would be shot off on the spot!

Cornered in the barrier, he seemed to have no way out.

But in the next instant, he clapped his hands together, and the spell for spatial teleportation was executed with practiced ease.

Seeing his movement, a shout came from the other side, "Not good! Act now!"

Then came the sound of triggers being pulled in unison.

But it was already too late.

Su'en's foot had already stepped into the spatial gate, and as the guns fired, the bullets...

Just when the Oliver family thought Su'en had escaped.

Suddenly, they saw a figure appear on the small building behind them.

On closer inspection, who else could it be but Su'en?

"You have a lot of people, huh? Heh..."

Su'en grinned at them and muttered to himself, "Good thing I'm not alone either."

As he spoke, he pulled out three scrolls sealed with spatial spells.

The scrolls unfurled in the wind, and nearly a hundred puppet dolls appeared, their wooden joints clicking mockingly as they faced the Oliver family's hundred-plus members.

Su'en's eyes narrowed, and with a gesture of grasping at the void, he shouted, "Try my own creation of puppetry... 'Secret Technique: Night Parade of a Hundred Puppets'!"

ps. My schedule has been erratic lately, updates will probably be around 6 PM. In the future, I'll try to do it by 12 PM.

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