Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 404 - 403

The monsters in the dimensional passage were said to cascade like a breached dam, and this was no exaggeration. Since Lab Zero was the closest to the void, the density of monsters was even higher there.

On his way there, Su Lun charged fiercely, encountering several life-threatening situations.

This was only possible because he had numerous treasures and spatial abilities with him; an ordinary person, even of the sixth or seventh rank, would likely have died there.

He plunged into Lab Zero, which had changed drastically from before; walking underground, many isolated doors and walls were now nowhere to be seen—Su Lun knew they had been reduced and digested by the "Void Bidirectional Worm".

Su Lun became even more cautious, with Black Crow scouting ahead and the "All-knowing Eye" sweeping everywhere, not taking anything lightly.

There were intense spatial energy fluctuations at the bottom of the lab; it seemed that the battle between Dean Mason and that bizarre creature was fierce.

Su Lun had obtained intelligence from the hands of the Maffa people, revealing why they had released monsters here.

The information indeed contained many leading statements and sounded like the lament of a genius who had been oppressed and suppressed by bureaucratic academia, dying in bitterness here. Much like how Su Lun felt when he first discovered those notes in the library, which could stir feelings of injustice.

However,

what the plot is does not matter now.

The most important thing is that the "bait" seems very real.

The "Herbert Hillbilly" had said he hid his research results, which could change the course of civilization, in "T11 Testing Area".

The most valuable among these were the treasures he collected while traveling through the void planes and all the research data from the completed "Void Gene Potion" project.

Such a potion that could directly grant Void talents without any side effects was an irresistible temptation for anyone, especially for major powers.

This was also the most significant reason for the eruption of the "Void Invasion".

Su Lun believed that the bait in the information was probably real. After all, he speculated that Herbert was a top-tier professional in his era, which was a period of great prominence for alchemy during the Dawn Era. Lies had no value before beings of such stature, who likely had divine-grade alchemists within the "Tarkol Empire".

However, none of that mattered now.

Su Lun was more concerned about something else.

It was that since Herbert, having morphed into a "Bidirectional Worm", had set up such a scenario, the monster’s intelligence must be very high, possibly even higher than that of an average human!

Su Lun had observed some signs of this Void Invasion before, and he confirmed the guesses in Herbert’s notes about the "Matriarch Worm Theory".

...

Su Lun had killed countless monsters on his way deeper into the lab.

But as he walked, he suddenly stopped.

He looked at the energy barrier identified in the distance and muttered, "The basement of the lab is sealed by a spatial barrier, huh..."

Su Lun knew that this fight would take a long time. He originally wanted to go directly to "T11 Area" to check the situation, but now all paths were blocked.

Dean Mason had used a Spatial Technique to confine both himself and the "Bidirectional Worm" within a fixed area, perhaps thinking of reattempting the monster’s seal?

Su Lun’s eyes flickered as he thought, "This must be the monster’s trap. If this drags on, the dimensional passage will definitely collapse."

He couldn’t enter the current barrier, and the chances of forcibly breaking in were extremely low. Moreover, given the current situation, the old dean was still the greatest ally, not to be offended.

Thinking, he shouted loudly towards the barrier, "Dean Mason, the Void seals outside have been infiltrated by monsters. A large number of Void Bugs are gnawing at the runes of the dimensional passage. These are not ordinary bugs; they are controlled by a highly intelligent ’Matriarch Worm’..."

He had not finished speaking when Su Lun suddenly felt a chill on his back—a sense of danger, as if targeted by a lurking Poison Snake, immediately surged over him.

Without any hesitation, he raised his hand and swung it behind him. From the black hole in his palm, a tyrannical Sword Qi slashed through the air with a "swish".

As the Sword Qi swept through, a stream of blue blood suddenly burst from a seemingly empty tunnel, and the bisected body of a transparent creature, a fourth-tier Gold Aberrant, clattered to the ground. When identified, it turned out to be the minion controlled by the "Matriarch" to silence him.

At the same time, Su Lun sensed very dense soul fluctuations suddenly surging into the passage through his Soul Perception. The chaotic frequency of the air vibrations made it easy to deduce that a surge of monsters from aboveground was descending.

Just as Su Lun was about to forcefully fight back to defend himself, at that moment, the spatial barrier in front of him suddenly expanded, engulfing him completely.

The Void monsters hit the barrier with "thuds", unable to rage through.

This, of course, was the old dean’s doing.

Su Lun breathed a sigh of relief.

He had dared to return to Lab Zero because historically, the Void invasion had been halted.

He was certain that the old dean must have some trump card capable of suppressing the "Bidirectional Worm," or at the very least, preventing defeat.

At this moment, he continued with the words he hadn’t finished earlier, saying, "Dean Mason, if I am not mistaken, the creature Herbert has turned into is trying to delay you here, making you believe that it can still be sealed. Meanwhile, it secretly manipulates the Void Bug race to destroy the dimensional passage."

Previously, he did not understand why, despite the dimensional passage already being sealed, those Void bugs could find the weak points of the restrictions and directly reach the academy area.

The actions of the bugs are more often driven by instinct, unlike humans, who possess sufficient "intelligence" to understand such complex restrictions.

Clearly, these bugs are organized, methodical, and scheming.

Later, having observed the bugs’ primary targets within the academy, Su Lun suddenly realized they were focusing on the restrictive nodes.

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Herbert’s notes contained the following statement, "Many Void bugs cannot be considered as individuals on their own; rather, it takes thousands forming a colony to constitute ’an individual’ unit, and the ’Matriarch Worm’ serves as the brain of this unit."

BBeing the vice dean of the academy, Herbert was very knowledgeable about the academy and various situations concerning the dimensional channels.

Therefore, it was not difficult to conjecture that it was the insect race’s "brain."

...

Su Lun voiced his speculation and, at that moment, the familiar "dark line" also appeared in the spatial corridor.

The bi-directional beast had come personally to silence them.

Su Lun, seeing this, no longer panicked.

The old dean had held on for so long; naturally, he had a way to deal with it.

Just as the beast appeared, an elder figure teleported into the corridor with even greater speed.

No matter how many times he saw it, Su Lun always thought Dean Mason’s teleportation technique was a hundred times more sophisticated than his.

The old man looked at Su Lun, his expression extremely complex.

"The members of the investigation team weren’t exaggerating when they said this man was the main culprit behind this incident, but rather than think of fleeing, he had come back..."

Dean Mason didn’t know how to judge him.

Thinking carefully about those words just now, he too had a sudden realization.

No wonder he had always felt that despite being sealed for many years, and despite being stronger than ever, the bi-directional worm had been performing poorly, giving him a chance to seal it again. It turned out the creature had been feigning weakness, buying time.

And reality had proven this point.

The moment Su Lun exposed this strategy, the bugs outside suddenly went mad. Not only in the Zero Number experiment area but the entire dimensional channel violently shook, bursting with many more Void creatures than before.

Failing in their strategy, it seemed they wanted to use a swarm tactic to quickly eliminate the old dean.

Through the spatial barrier, Su Lun felt the madness of those bugs, and his eyes also showed gravity.

Because he had altered a bit of the plot’s direction, he had directly moved the Void invasion from the first phase into the third.

Now, there was no way out.

All that could be done was to bet on the old dean turning the tide.

This had also been the greatest danger Su Lun had foreseen when he considered this plan earlier.

Moreover, not only was there no escape now, but the bi-directional worm had also been driven into a frenzy, presenting the most direct and lethal threat.

Previously, Su Lun had thought the creature was not fast and had a weakness, allowing him some leeway to maneuver.

But now, it was no longer acting.

Having disrupted its plan, the beast naturally wanted to kill him quickly.

Just at that moment, the black crow beside Su Lun cried out with a "cah," giving a deadly crisis warning.

Su Lun and the black crow, having a good understanding, teleported without hesitation toward the old dean’s direction.

Glancing back with peripheral vision, the spot where he had just stood had been reduced to a two-dimensional pattern on the ground, narrowly avoiding a fatal attack.

The opponent was simply not in the same league.

Su Lun also couldn’t think of any way to kill the creature.

Watching Su Lun employ this spatial teleportation technique, Dean Mason remarked with a complex tone, "You certainly aren’t lacking in methods."

He didn’t allow the creature to continue its rampage, but instead once again used a technique to subdue the beast and crushed it into pieces. The bi-directional worm’s remains reassembled, providing a brief respite.

There was no time for delay now, every moment dragged on increased the likelihood of the dimensional channel collapsing.

The old dean also knew he absolutely couldn’t let the creature leave the Zero Number laboratory, and he couldn’t leave himself.

Reality didn’t allow him any more hesitation; he pulled out an ancient bronze spring ball and threw it to Su Lun, saying, "You should know what this thing does. I will find a way to deal with this creature. The rest is up to you. Be careful."

He had concluded that Su Lun was a secret agent from the imperial city, and now without any choice, he had to trust him.

Su Lun accepted the item, and hearing these words akin to a burden of trust, guessed the old man indeed had a trump card. He didn’t dawdle, and replied, "All right!"

Stopping the Void invasion was also his best option to leave the cursed space alive.

Moreover, he had to deal with the big boss first to have a chance at obtaining the treasures in this laboratory.

Seeing the "Restriction Spring" taken out, the creature grew even more frantic, its main body surged from deep in the ground, and those dark lines poured in like a flood. This range of attack left no room for evasion, and unless the spatial barriers were unlocked, everything in the laboratory would be overwhelmed.

Su Lun, facing the horrifying "Dark Bug Wave," felt a death threat he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

With a pinch of his sorcerer’s seals in both hands, a dark golden rune luster emerged on the surface of his body.

At the same time he was attacked, the old dean gently pushed, sending Su Lun out, while his feet simultaneously lit up with an incredibly mysterious nine-pointed star formation.

It was this formation that allowed an ancient stone door, carved with primitive runes, to appear behind the old man.

The rune stone door lit up with a dazzling light, and as far as the eye could see, it was like an endless world akin to an abyss.

The dean’s face showed neither joy nor sorrow, his robe stirring without any wind. He appeared as if a True God descended, his eyes exuding an overbearing and fearless dominance. Suddenly, his presence changed as if enveloped in an indescribable radiance. With every move he made, it seemed as though he harnessed the vast power of the starry heavens.

The formation grew more and more intense, the violent fluctuations of Space Law like the precursors to a volcanic eruption, giving off a feeling as if it were the end of the world.

With a forward motion of his hands, a deep, resonant chant followed from the unknown: "Divine Art: World Exile!"

....

Su Lun, witnessing the start of the formation, knew it was no simple matter, but he was also greatly surprised when he identified the level of the spell.

Was it actually a Divine Art?

This old man, even if not a divine-level powerhouse back in the day, was at least a demi-god.

But because it was a cursed space, the current formation had only some form and not the true might of a Divine Art.

Even so, Su Lun was greatly shocked as he watched.

And clearly, the cost of casting this spell was not small. Su Lun took just one look and saw the old man’s originally somewhat ruddy flesh instantly turn as dry as tinder.

Facing a monster that could neither be killed nor sealed, Dean Mason had not used this move earlier, and now that he had, it was obviously at a great cost.

However, Su Lun had no interest in worrying about the old dean at this moment, as he was excluded by the barrier. He was surrounded by all sorts of endless void creatures and had fallen into a predicament himself.

"Infinite Samurai: Emperor of Flames!"

As Su Lun watched the void insects that resembled gravel, flames burst forth around him.

From his black umbrella, resentful spirits were released, and the cross above his head spread out countless threads that enveloped him.

The bodies of void insects began to fall in large numbers...

Escape was not an option; going out now would make the situation even worse. He had to endure until the old man took down the "Bidirectional Worm." This situation was not easy to handle.

With limited space in this passage, Su Lun only needed to deal with the monsters at the front and back.

In one hand, he used various one-handed formations, while in his other hand, a black hole formed, and the people of the Dawn Group fired frantically toward that portal.

Sword Qi, punches, bullets, and shells dense like a storm, flames spewed exaggeratedly long from his palms, those void creatures that came into close contact, regardless of their tier, mostly ended up completely obliterated...

Fortunately, he had obtained the "Void Channel’s Banned Clockwork" in his hand, which passively stabilized the void within a certain range. Su Lun did not suffer the effects of intense energy fluctuations tearing space apart, nor did he suffer from the spatial shaking attempts of higher-tier creatures intending to destroy the whole channel.

But such intense firepower could only hold on for so long, definitely not sustainably.

Su Lun fought while glancing at the battle inside the barrier.

At that moment, Dean Mason seemed like a deity. He conjured up white spell light in his hands and actually grabbed the main body of the mud-like monster barehanded. Far from being dimensionally reduced, he instead pulled the monster’s body into the rune stone door behind him like a tug-of-war.

The "Bidirectional Worm," like a Poison Snake whose vital point was grasped, had its head already stuffed in, while its body outside the stone door violently writhed, desperately resisting entering the unknown world...

Seeing this, Su Lun more or less understood the principle of this Divine Art; it seemed the old man intended to exile the monster to another world?

Unable to kill it, unable to seal it, this approach seemed like the only choice.

Su Lun thought to himself. At that moment, a long tendril whipped towards him, piercing through his Rune Golden Body, exposing sinew and symbolic skeleton underneath his torn flesh.

The spatial shaking not only injured his flesh but also caused his innards to convulse, making him unable to suppress a throaty burn, and he vomited a mouthful of old blood.

Su Lun saw the monster a hundred meters away and without hesitation, pulled out a black scythe and chopped several times towards it.

Only then was that fourth-tier lord-level tentacle monster cut into several pieces.

The assault of the monster tide was increasingly fierce; blood still hung from the corner of Su Lun’s mouth, yet a smile appeared at the edge of his eyes.

He had bet right, the matter on Dean Mason’s side was already decided!

In that period lost to history, the students and instructors of Tokster Alchemy Academy had paid a terrible price to prevent the "Void Invasion."

Now having become a cursed space, Su Lun had killed Mafa’s "variables," naturally ensuring the same lack of success.

A few minutes later.

Dean Mason had already stuffed most of the monster’s body through the rune stone door, rendering it incapable of fighting back.

However, the old man’s condition was also very poor, his body resembling spent ashes, crumbling bit by bit into the endless void.

"Did this Divine Art consume his life?"

Su Lun realized.

At that moment, as the Dean gave one final effort and cast the binary worm into the Void Gate, his body completely disintegrated.

In his last moments, he glanced back at Su Lun, his eyes seemingly conveying a trust.

Su Lun understood and nodded. Across spacetime, he paid his respects to this Great Alchemist from countless eons ago.

Regardless, such a person was worthy of respect.

...

The binary worm was exiled to an unknown location, and Dean Mason died on the spot.

Without the "Matriarch Worm" to command them, the monsters of the void that were attacking frenziedly in the lab suddenly dispersed like sand.

Without orders, without a target, they instinctively sensed that this human before them was not to be trifled with and dispersed immediately.

Ninety percent of the monsters in the corridor were gone, and Su Lun breathed a sigh of relief, whilst a thought emerged, "Did I just end the main storyline of this cursed space prematurely?"

Normally, the void invasion would last three days.

But previously, no one had ever made it out alive from this dimensional channel, nor did anyone know what had transpired.

Now, with the ultimate boss exterminated and the void insect race without their Matriarch, becoming utterly disorganized, it was highly probable that they wouldn’t have any strong offensive tactics left.

Was the cursed space solved?

No.

Clearly, it was not.

The main will of this space was definitely not a "monster," but that "Herbert Hillbilly."

Su Lun’s eyes shifted, feeling that the remnants of that man’s will were probably right here in Laboratory Zero.

There were still more plots to uncover.

With the Dean’s death, the spatial barrier also disappeared.

Su Lun had intended to harvest something from the "ashes" of this Great Alchemist, but found nothing where his body had disintegrated.

Such occurrences were common in a cursed space, being merely scenes from someone else’s memory, not the main will, all ancillary. It was hard to say what could be preserved.

Just as he felt a profound sense of regret, a door of radiant runes slowly formed out of the void.

Even from afar, a thick and mysterious aura could be felt.

Voidwalker’s Portal

Quality: Legendary

Description: A magical door that opens to another world. Where do you want to go?

Cursed Property: Allows the user to travel between current coordinates and a preset marked coordinate, with teleportation distance influenced by energy and understanding of the laws; solidifies the Divine Art: "World Exile," enabling travel between dimensions; if spatial laws are not mastered or if attempting a leap beyond one’s capabilities, the void will tear your soul and body apart; using this Divine Art, spatial displacement directly translates to time consumed, with corresponding lifespan costs;

Details: Distances in higher-dimensional worlds aren’t as vast as you might think. To wield this power, you must first understand it; records a mysterious extra-dimensional coordinate of 433.1224, 655.874; Can serve as professional advancement material, upon advancement, grants displacement abilities, mastery of Spatial Divine Art: "World Exile," and significantly enhances spatial cognition; fusion conditions, affinity with the void graded SS, current fusion success rate less than 1%;

Su Lun was overjoyed and shocked, "Ah... Is this the cursed artifact from the stone door used by the Dean earlier?"

Upon seeing the identified information, he then realized that the Divine Art: "World Exile" was actually included with the cursed object?

As for that coordinate, it was probably the extradimensional plane where the monster had been exiled.

If he could use the technique in the future, he would indeed make use of it.

And upon seeing the words "can serve as advancement material", Su Lun felt a surge of eagerness.

He had come to explore this secret realm specifically to find materials related to void abilities for professional advancement.

Could this be more perfect?

Not only was it perfect, but it was also far better than he had anticipated!

With substantial enhancement of void abilities and the ability to perform targeted coordinate displacements, ultra-long-distance teleportation...

It far exceeded his expectations.

However, the high quality of this item made that 1% success rate cause him to frown.

"Lack of spatial affinity?"

Su Lun’s first thought was the "Void Gene Potion."

Not enough affinity, compensate with potion.

The intelligence previously obtained mentioned that it was available in "District T11," right?

Now that the monster wave in the laboratory had receded, and the danger had greatly decreased, he was definitely going to check it out.