Mechanical Alchemist

Chapter 17: Iron cross

On the city wall, a group of armed militants stood, some in punk style and others in black suits and trench coats.

Their clothes were all marked with a clear "iron cross", which was the gang symbol of the "Steel Cross Society".

Every day in Old Lingdun, there were people who wanted to join the gang for various reasons, such as desperate fugitives, murderers, those who wanted to get rich overnight, and those who wanted to obtain transcendent resources...

And on the high walls, they often recruited fighters to go outside the city.

The gang leaders liked to wait here and recruit new members.

"Hey Kay, can you put away your Blade Implant? It's so flashy, it makes people think that the 'Cross Society' professionals have never seen the world. We are all captains, can't you be more steady..."

"Hehe, Smoke Boss, I just successfully integrated the Blade Implant, so I'm a bit excited."

"The high-level of the gang has assigned you to take care of the three blocks on Green Street. Be careful in the future. There are many gambling dens and flower houses there. Although they are profitable, the old people in the gang have avoided them. Do you know why they let you take advantage?"

"Isn't it because the 'Steam Party' guys have been causing trouble recently? It's okay... if they dare to cross the line, I guarantee I'll chop off their heads, haha."

"As long as you know. Not only are the 'Steam Party' causing trouble, but there have also been more incidents of distortion in the city recently. You'd better be more vigilant. Let me know if you need any help. Pick a few of the new recruits that you like..."

"Thank you, Smoke Boss. Hehe, I hope I can recruit a few capable fighters today..."

"..."

The one speaking was a middle-aged man with a gloomy look in his eyes. He was smoking a cigar and lazily lying on a chair.

Standing beside him were young people who emanated sharp metallic light, like "Blades".

Su'en looked up and saw the two of them. Without hesitation, he walked into the shabby iron net elevator and climbed up the city wall.

.......

"Newcomer? Want to join our 'Cross Society'?"

"Yes."

"What's your name?"

"Su'en."

"What awakened talent do you have?"

"[D-016-Hawkeye]."

"Oh? So you're pretty good at marksmanship?"

"It's alright."

"Alright, then follow me. You can call me Captain Kay."

"Okay."

The process of joining the gang was unbelievably simple.

Su'en was asked a few simple questions and officially became a member of the "Steel Brotherhood".

As expected from the previous interrogation, the gang didn't care about your background. After all, the majority of people who joined the gang had a questionable past.

As long as you dedicated yourself to the gang, no one cared about your past.

In exchange for loyalty, the gang could also provide protection.

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No one searched him, no one asked too many questions, no one bothered him...

Su'en also breathed a sigh of relief, as he managed to keep his storage ring. The precautions he had taken earlier were useless, but it was a good start.

.......

Captain Kay looked only a few years older than Su'en, but he seemed to have been in the gang for many years.

To survive for many years in the underworld, one had to have skills.

This Kay was also a formal "professional", currently an agile type with a highly aggressive alchemical implant called "[Blade]".

Su'en silently watched everything, his eyes shining with anticipation and curiosity for this new and exciting world.

After waiting for a while, the recruitment for the day was coming to an end.

Besides Su'en, three other people were chosen by Captain Kay.

One awakened talent was "[D-082-Strongman]", another was "[D-071-Stone Skin]", and the last one was "[D-031-Enhanced Smell]". They all had talents that could enhance combat abilities to varying degrees.

"Let's go, Smoke Boss. I'll take the newcomers to patrol the area..."

"Okay."

Kay greeted the middle-aged man who hadn't stopped smoking and got off the city wall.

Su'en remained silent throughout, following behind him quietly as an inconspicuous member.

This young man named Kay was talkative and seemed quite satisfied with the new recruits.

As they walked, he distributed a few stacks of banknotes to the newcomers, explaining, "The benefits in the gang are 20,000 lis per month, and additional money will be given depending on the mission. Since our team is newly formed, we don't need to go outside the city to hunt for the next three months, so you can enjoy yourselves..."

The newcomers easily received their first substantial "salary".

20,000 lis was equivalent to half a year's salary for an ordinary worker in the city's factory.

Su'en was slightly surprised, as he didn't know this detail. But looking at the excited expressions of the other three, they didn't seem surprised.

Getting paid before work, this would have been considered excellent treatment in his previous life.

Was this still a gang?

After thinking about it, Su'en understood.

In the gang, members couldn't guarantee that they would survive until the next month.

Getting paid first meant enjoying life first.

If something happened, it wouldn't be much of a loss.

Moreover, there were no restrictions or constraints after joining the gang, not even restrictions on freedom.

Su'en could even take the money and run away...

But no one would do that.

Because if you were wanted by the authorities, joining the gang provided a way out. If the three major gangs were after you, there would be no place for you in Old Lingdun.

Only a dead end.

So for the majority of people, once they joined the gang, they could only go down one path.

But for Su'en, a high mortality rate?

Tsk tsk, it didn't matter...

Compared to facing death, the ordinary world would make him feel more bored.

His awakened talent, [Reaper], would inevitably involve dealing with death in order to become stronger.

To avoid risks and become an ordinary person?

No, coming to such a wonderful and exciting world, being timid and cautious would be truly boring.

Su'en looked at his slightly trembling pulse, and he knew that "he" also loved this world.

......

Su'en and the new recruits followed Captain Kay off the city wall and entered the city.

The city was filled with densely packed slums, looking like a "post-war Syria style" from a distance.

Just like the high walls, the reinforced concrete buildings in the city were ancient relics from thousands of years ago. The great war seemed to have captured this city, leaving behind dilapidated buildings everywhere.

And on top of these ruins, there were towering steam chimneys and steel container slums, which were the "new buildings".

As for the inner city, it was at the end of the line of sight. There was another high wall that separated it, with bright lights shining. Vaguely visible in the center of the inner city was a "black tower" of unknown height.

The city was large, and they rode an open steam locomotive, speeding into the city.

Su'en remained silent, observing everything on the streets.

As a transmigrator, he didn't dare to speak carelessly, afraid of revealing that he was completely unfamiliar with this city.

But perhaps because Su'en mentioned that his awakened talent was [Hawkeye], which was considered one of the most practical combat abilities among D-level talents, Captain Kay seemed to value him. He specially reminded Su'en, "With your talent, you're quite suitable for the Gunner sequence profession. I'll keep an eye out for relevant 'employment materials' for you. Meditate more when you have free time, and when your Dark Spirit Power is full, you can change professions. Let's try to have two 'professionals' in our team..."

Su'en responded, "Okay."

Kay didn't say much more and waved his hand, saying, "Let's go, let's take everyone to patrol our designated area. Besides that, we can go wherever we want..."

"Understood, Captain."

Obviously, this was also what the others expected. No one wanted to take risks.

.......

"Fancy meeting you here, Mr. Clive. Business must be booming..."

"Mr. Milton, I heard you have some good goods recently. Remember to save a few beauties for me and my brothers tonight."

"..."

The "Cross Society" controlled almost all the entertainment venues on Green Street.

Kay and his group casually greeted the nightclub madams and the courtesans as they passed by.

Su'en was also quite surprised. This seemingly rundown industrial city actually had such a lively side. The liveliness of these entertainment venues was not much different from the large bars in his previous life, bustling with people.

Groups of heavily made-up courtesans stood on the street, attracting customers. They wore revealing clothes, with long, slender legs and impressive breasts, making it difficult for people to look away.

The streets were filled with a strong scent of sensuality.

Playboy bunnies, catwoman costumes, qipao dresses with high slits, motorcycle leather jackets, maid outfits, bondage slave themes, noble lady styles...

Su'en didn't expect the fashion style in Old Lingdun to be so diverse. Almost any kind of sexy attire that could stimulate a man's hormones could be seen here.

The courtesans were bold and sexy, not caring about the wandering hands of men on their bodies. Instead, when their hands reached certain places, they would even flirt and giggle.

"Hey, Elena, it seems like you've gained weight. No no, I don't mean it in a bad way, I mean your butt feels even better~"

"Oh, Lisa, why haven't I seen you recently? Are you fooling around with some man~"

"Mua~ Captain Kay, do you want to have some fun tonight?"

"..."

Kay and the old members seemed familiar with the place, joking their way through the crowd.

They were not only local bosses but also regular customers here.

The survival rules in Old Lingdun were cruel. The ordinary civilians who couldn't engage in combat professions were very cheap. Here, spending a few hundred lis could find a good-looking courtesan for a night of pleasure.

Therefore, the 20,000 lis monthly salary from the gang could allow people to indulge in pleasure until they were drained.

Su'en and the new recruits mingled with the crowd, becoming familiar faces.

.......

Green Street consisted of three main streets.

Every corner was filled with violence, sensuality, and illegal transactions...

They patrolled a street purely for entertainment, then a street full of taverns. Neon signs of various colors illuminated a world of drunkenness and debauchery...

Most of the taverns on this street had a strong industrial style, with steel elements in every corner.

Su'en was starting to find the patrol boring when they encountered a problem.

Passing by a place called the "Elephant Tavern," a middle-aged man with a brown beard called out to Kay.

"Hey, Captain Kay, you came at the right time. I have a problem in my tavern and need you to take a look."

The tavern owner led them to the back alley, pointing at a half-bloodied corpse on the ground and said, "It should have happened last night. Some poor guy got drunk and slept in the alley. Now you can see, his body was bitten off by some unknown creature..."

This was the back alley of the tavern, filled with empty bottles. Unlike the glamorous front, it was dirty, dark, and smelly...

Su'en's eyesight allowed him to clearly see the half-body on the corpse. There were bite marks that looked like saw teeth, as if it had been gnawed by a creature of considerable size.

And on the street corner, there were several dark sewer openings, emitting a foul stench.

The owner seemed accustomed to such things and continued muttering, "Captain Kay, it seems that some monster has appeared in the sewer. I've also heard that homeless people have been disappearing lately. It seems that they were carried away by some man-eating monster, making people panic... I'm afraid if this continues, it will affect the business of our tavern."

"Oh, I understand the situation."

Kay glanced at it and kicked the corpse into a nearby trash can.

The body would probably be eaten clean by rats soon, and no one would care who died.

He scraped his boots on the ground, and Kay said, "Mr. Chapman, don't worry, I will send someone to investigate."

With that, he didn't stay any longer and led Su'en and the others away from the "Elephant Tavern".

After leaving the tavern and walking on the main street, one of the new recruits asked, "Captain, are we going to investigate later?"

This was also Su'en's question, as he thought it was their job.

However, Kay smiled dismissively and replied, "Hehe, investigate? The sewers in Old Lingdun are ancient relics from a thousand years ago. The underground structure is ten times more complex than the surface roads, and no one can figure out the underground structure. It's a paradise for all kinds of distorted monsters down there. Who the hell wants to go to such a stinky place..."

After a pause, he looked at the new recruits and said, "As long as those monsters don't come to the surface, we don't need to worry about it. We have this free time, so we might as well enjoy ourselves..."

"Understood, Captain."

Obviously, this was also what they expected. No one wanted to take risks.

.......

The next stop after the entertainment district and taverns was the gambling dens.

The group made their presence known at all the establishments on Green Street, marking their territory.

Before long, they arrived at the underground boxing gambling den.

And when Su'en saw the cloud of "mist" appearing on the dead gladiator's body in the arena, his eyes lit up.

Finally, it wasn't so boring...

He knew that for a long time to come, he would probably have things to do.