Chapter 1 The Spider's Escape and a Night of Intrigue

Su Lun controlled the eight spider spears and ran wildly, his speed extremely fast.

The edges of this cavern were not like the ruins city; the towering, steep rock walls were the best terrain for the spider spears to exert their power.

Climbing up the rock face, Su Lun quickly reached the top of the cave where he had hidden during the day, retrieving the invisible living corpse and the Black Scythe hanging in mid-air.

With the great weapons in hand, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Now, Su Lun wasn't in a hurry to run.

He waited in place for a while, designing an ambush trap, originally wanting to see if any pursuers would come, so he could reap a wave of experience.

Although his strength wasn't considered strong yet, with the Black Scythe + spider legs, he could fight and escape. One or two Tier 2 professionals would basically be delivering food, and if a large group came to encircle him, he could retreat into the complex caverns.

However, after waiting for a long time without hearing any movement from pursuers, he gave up.

Su Lun thought again; perhaps that Shabina hadn't summoned the city guards at all.

After all, her persona in the eyes of others was that of a delicate and frail woman. It wouldn't make sense for her to personally launch a night attack on a wanted criminal in a hotel in the middle of the night.

It was still early before dawn, and Su Lun didn't plan to run around. After all, he had some small agreement with Number Nineteen. He hung himself on the rock wall with silk threads, planning to go to the East City to take a look when it was light.

Having free time, Su Lun also recalled the previous battle.

He had to admit that he couldn't underestimate other professionals, especially the Umbrella Organization, which had gathered all sorts of strange and unique ability structures.

There might be someone who could restrain his abilities.

Today's Shabina was an example.

Mental-type professionals were already one in a million. A Tier 2 professional like her with a succubus talent bonus was truly difficult to guard against.

Not to mention Tier 2 professionals, even Tier 3 professionals might not be able to do anything to her without special means to defend against mental control.

If Su Lun's own mental strength wasn't extraordinary, even with the Black Scythe in hand, he might not have had a chance to make a move against such an enemy.

He even suspected that since this woman had such methods and schemes, the leader of the Steam Party might not really be "Butcher" Banner. Perhaps this scheming woman was the one with the real power.

Thinking further, she was the lieutenant intelligence officer of the Umbrella Organization, and a suffocating intelligence network had almost enveloped the entire outer city of Old Lingdun.

The Black Tower's control over Old Lingdun was evident.

...

"That woman should have cultivated a mental secret art..."

Although the previous confrontation didn't seem like he had suffered a loss, Su Lun was still apprehensive.

In the instant when Shabina invaded his mind, the two of them were like they had met frankly, each clearly sensing the strength of the other's mental power.

In terms of volume, that woman's mental power might not have been stronger than his, but the moment she cast the spell, Su Lun was caught.

Su Lun felt like his own mental power was like a plate of sand, while Shabina's was like a carefully built fortress, capable of both attack and defense.

Tonight, Su Lun learned the power of mental means, and he felt even more that the cultivation of mental secret arts was imminent.

He still remembered the scene at Stormwind Manor when Pestoya easily controlled him and Baldy Ivan with mental threads.

He felt that he had turned the "Puppet Master" into a string puppet master, and the way he was doing things was definitely wrong...

Otherwise, having this enormous mental power would not only not be combat power but would also be a burden.

Su Lun also clearly felt that as he harvested more soul fragments, the hidden dangers of suppressed emotions became more and more obvious. It felt like he had an urge to go crazy and let loose...

As he thought about it, his thoughts drifted away.

Su Lun hung on the cliff, occasionally observing the distant camp with binoculars, wanting to see if there were any signs of large-scale mobilization.

Looking at the brightly lit camp, he suddenly thought of Number Nineteen.

"I wonder if her plan to do what she wants to do was successful..."

Su Lun wasn't too worried.

After all, this wasn't the heavily guarded Old Lingdun. He could easily leave the city, and Number Nineteen definitely could too.

Although he hadn't asked before, he was indeed a little curious about what kind of task that mysterious "third-party organization" cared about.

Was it to assassinate a specific target?

Or to steal something?

Number Nineteen's decisive personality meant that once she determined a goal, she would act immediately...

Perhaps tonight?

It was probably a coincidence.

Just as Su Lun thought of this, suddenly, an accident happened!

"Rumble~"

The sound of gunfire suddenly exploded.

It came from far away, and the sound waves shook Su Lun's body hanging on the rock wall.

"Oh... something happened?!"

Su Lun immediately perked up and looked in the direction of the camp with binoculars.

Looking down from above, he suddenly saw the camp exploding in chaos, with gunfire erupting.

Moreover, judging from the direction of the spread of the gunfire, it could be clearly identified that the firepower network was rushing towards the city walls from the Stormwind Manor on the hillside.

It was as if someone was being surrounded and pursued all the way and then ran towards the city walls.

Looking at the firelight, Su Lun immediately guessed it was Number Nineteen.

The only one who could cause such chaos in the camp was that SS-ranked wanted criminal.

However, it wasn't over yet!

Just as Su Lun thought Number Nineteen could escape the camp, a low roar like an air-raid siren suddenly came.

"First-level combat readiness?"

Su Lun knew very well what this roar represented.

This alarm would only be issued when the camp was facing a "special monster siege event" that threatened its survival.

The sounding of this alarm also meant that all wasteland reclaimers in the city had to participate in the city defense mission.

Looking at the situation now, were they planning to block Number Nineteen with the entire city?

Sure enough, as soon as the alarm sounded, the entire city seemed to boil over. From a distance, he could hear someone shouting at the top of their lungs.

"Someone come quickly, the SS-ranked wanted criminal is here!"

"Brothers, get up and get rich..."

"Catch her, a reward of one hundred million!"

"..."

With this shout, everyone in the city participated in the encirclement and suppression.

Whether it was because there were other wanted criminals hiding in the camp, gunshots could be heard everywhere in the city.

However, just after this alarm sounded, Su Lun watched as the "target" who seemed to be Number Nineteen was blocked and suddenly turned around, heading to the other side of the city wall.

Then, she was blocked again.

Houses collapsed one after another, and the fighting was extremely intense.

"Did she encounter a top-level expert intercepting her?"

Su Lun watched and pondered.

He didn't think Number Nineteen would suffer a loss.

After all, the mechanical warrior's body was made of alloy, immune to swords and guns, and possessed a super propulsion acceleration system. Even if she was facing a hail of bullets, no one could stop her.

Besides, she wasn't alone.

...

As expected.

Watching the battle, which hadn't stalemated for long, a small mushroom cloud suddenly exploded on the street where the houses had collapsed.

It looked like some kind of weapon of mass destruction had been used.

Then, the chase began again.

This time, Su Lun saw a figure leaping lightly from the city wall in the binoculars, and it was none other than Number Nineteen wearing a black leather jacket.

Then, immediately afterward, he saw someone chasing closely, jumping out from the city wall.

"The vice president of the Wasteland Reclaimers Union, the Tier 3 expert 'Wind and Thunder Sword King' Nero Redgrave?"

Su Lun's pupils shrank slightly when he saw the red-bearded pursuer wielding a greatsword.

No wonder he was so fierce, with a sword qi of dozens of meters; it turned out to be him.

However, seeing this, Su Lun felt that Number Nineteen was no longer in danger.

Close-combat professionals were indeed fast, but a swordsman against a super mechanical warrior didn't have any professional restraint advantages. Instead, they would suffer a loss.

Looking again at the large black box that Number Nineteen was holding in her hand, Su Lun understood what she was going to do.

"So, she went to steal something?"

He muttered in his heart, also curious about what Number Nineteen had stolen.

The fact that it couldn't be put into a storage space and had to be held in hand meant that it must be an ultra-level item.

A Sealed Item?

Su Lun raised an eyebrow.

Anything that a powerful organization that could "stock up" in the ruins wanted to seize was definitely not as simple as an ordinary Sealed Item.

...

Su Lun watched the show on the cliff, his heart without any waves.

Now that they were out of the camp, the ending was already determined.

But just then, Su Lun suddenly saw Number Nineteen, who was running wildly, suddenly launch a flare into the sky and then run towards him.

"Does she want me to respond?"

Su Lun instantly understood what was happening.

This was the retreat route they had discussed before. If they encountered a special situation, and it just so happened that one of them was outside the city, they would respond to each other.

Seeing this signal, he didn't even think about it. He released the implanted armor and controlled the living corpse to climb down the rock wall.

There were only a few top professionals, and their methods were highly recognizable. No matter how they hid, they would easily expose their identity once they made a move. Mr. Black and the others definitely had people nearby, but that was why he said he wouldn't make a move unless it was absolutely necessary.

And Su Lun had the Black Scythe in his hand, which happened to give him the ability to help.

This help was almost risk-free.

Su Lun went down the rock wall and went directly to the predetermined ambush location.

In the blink of an eye, the group of people chasing and fleeing also ran over.

Su Lun aimed accurately and unhesitatingly controlled the living corpse to swing the Black Scythe down.

Unfortunately, although the spatial rift was silent, the subtle sound of the wind breaking as the living corpse swung the Black Scythe was still sensed by the "Wind and Thunder Sword King" Nero.

That guy noticed the abnormality and flashed away from his previous position, just avoiding Su Lun's predicted strike path.

However, seeing someone ambush him, Nero's pursuit speed clearly slowed down.

With the Black Scythe making a move, he naturally guessed who it was, and a solemn expression appeared on his face.

Looking around, he was also worried about other ambushers.

Seeing that the other party could avoid the spatial rift, Su Lun wasn't surprised.

Before, when Number Nineteen sent the flare, Nero could naturally guess that her move was to call for reinforcements.

It would be strange if he didn't have any precautions.

Top-level professionals weren't so easy to kill.

...

At this time, Number Nineteen also found Su Lun and directly rushed towards him.

Then, with a great force, she threw the black box she was holding in her hand over.

Without anything in her hand, her combat power instantly soared. She directly turned around and confronted the "Wind and Thunder Sword King" Nero head-on.

For a time, sword qi crisscrossed, and gravel flew everywhere.

Su Lun received the box and knew what she meant.

He looked down at it, and the identification showed: [A Sealed Box Engraved with Ultra-Level Sealing Runes].

However, even through this sealed box, he seemed to see a strange aura emerging. Holding it, it was like holding a lump of ice. Not only was there a bone-chilling coldness, but even his soul trembled with a cold feeling.

"What exactly is in this box? It feels very evil..."

Su Lun muttered in his heart.

But he looked at the attribute panel, and there was no impact, so he didn't care.

He didn't care about the situation on the battlefield, nor did he ask where to take the thing, and turned around to leave.

The eight-armed spider spears spun frequently, and he disappeared from the battlefield in a puff of smoke, darting into the nearby tunnel.

When the news came out tomorrow, it would probably say that two important wanted criminals had joined forces to steal treasure...

This also completely disassociated that "third-party force" from the affair.

Anyway, he didn't care if there was one more charge on his wanted list, or one more S.

Helping Mr. Black and the others with a small favor was an even better deal.

...

Number Nineteen restrained that "Wind and Thunder Sword King" Nero, and Su Lun ran very smoothly.

He knew that without asking where to go, someone would definitely come to meet him later.

Sure enough, after running for a while, a cloaked figure appeared in the dark tunnel.

Su Lun didn't take it lightly and instinctively controlled the silk threads.

Seeing the other party take off the cloak, he finally relaxed.

Mr. Black was as polite as ever: "Little friend Su Lun, I'm sorry for the trouble."

Su Lun handed over the sealed box to him and smiled nonchalantly, "Just helping out with a small favor."

He didn't bother to ask what the thing was. Instead, he remembered something and casually said, "By the way, Mr. Black, I just learned some information that might be useful to you."

Mr. Black listened attentively: "Oh?"

"Before, Miss Number Nineteen told me that the Umbrella Organization has a high-level intelligence officer codenamed 'Sleepwalker'..."

Su Lun didn't go into too much detail, not mentioning the battle process, but simply said, "And I accidentally discovered that Shabina of the Steam Party is a Tier 2 mental-type professional whose talent is succubus. I suspect she might be that intelligence officer."

"So it's her... no wonder."

A clear look of surprise appeared on Mr. Black's face, and then he was suddenly enlightened.

There was no need to say too much in detail. Just these two points were enough for him to deduce too much information.

Su Lun knew that Mr. Black wouldn't ask for details, so he didn't continue to speak.

The reason why he brought up the topic now was naturally to mention the matter of mental secret arts.

There was no need to hide anything in front of Mr. Black, so he directly said, "Mr. Black, I have seen Shabina's mental methods before. I would like to ask if you have any information related to mental secret arts?"

Mr. Black naturally knew that Su Lun was looking for mental secret arts.

After all, this was the idea he had suggested.

Hearing this, he directly said, "I didn't before. But recently, I received a message that there is indeed a place in the ruins where you can find a mental power secret art that is very suitable for puppet master professions."

Su Lun became interested, "Oh?"

After a pause, Mr. Black frowned, but then shook his head and said, "However, the situation is a bit complicated. Hmm... let's talk about it after you advance to Tier 2 at least."

It sounded like... he had to go get it himself?

But listening to Mr. Black saying this, Su Lun didn't ask any more questions, "Okay."

At this time, Mr. Black thought of something and said, "By the way, do you have any information about space materials? I received a message saying that a 'Magician Anomaly' appeared in a cursed space in the East City, and it probably has the materials you need."

Su Lun: "The 1911 Hotel?"

Hearing his reaction, Mr. Black knew that Su Lun knew the information and said, "Yes. I stayed in the ruins for a few days and just compiled the information today. I originally wanted to find an opportunity to tell you, but now it seems you already know."

Listening to Mr. Black knowing about that cursed space, Su Lun simply asked more, "Sir, do you know what's going on with that space? I don't have much information. But it sounds like that space isn't simple."

"That space is indeed not simple. But... if you want to go, it shouldn't be a big problem."

Mr. Black thought of something, and a smile appeared in his eyes.

After a pause, he took out a golden card, handed it over, and said, "This is for you, as thanks for helping tonight. When you go to that space, keep it on you, and it might help you solve some trouble."

"Thank you."

This kind of gentleman was always unwilling to take advantage of others. Su Lun felt very pleasant dealing with him.

Since it was a gift, he naturally accepted it without hesitation.

He thought it was a talisman, but the identification showed: [A Card with Spatial Imprint].

Su Lun's first reaction was that it was the card of that mysterious man who could teleport with cards that he had met in the ruins before.

Was that cloaked man going?

If that was the case, the cursed space would be much safer.

However, he always felt that Mr. Black's sending this card seemed to have some other meaning.

But he didn't think too much about it.

Not to mention that he didn't feel any malice, Mr. Black wouldn't need to go to so much trouble if he really wanted to harm him.

Besides, there was nothing on him worth scheming for.

Two cursed-property Sealed Items with a big temper?

How could someone who could stock up in the ruins lack these things.