Mechanical Alchemist

Chapter 103: Black Jazz

Pharmacist Danny truthfully explained his origin, and Su'en also confirmed that this incident should have nothing to do with the inner city. He also asked a few familiar faces on Green Street and heard that there have been outsiders coming to this area recently to capture orphans and beggars. He agreed to help with this small favor.

Su'en wore a brown dirty braid wig, changed into a rock-style shiny leather jacket, and "borrowed" an inconspicuous steam motorcycle using his lockpicking skill. Then, he took Danny and followed the scent all the way to the West City District.

It must be said that Danny's sense of smell was really extraordinary, as sensitive as a dog's nose. Even after half an hour, he could still guide Su'en to the Knight Street area more than ten kilometers away based on the scent.

Su'en had suspected that the people capturing orphans on Green Street were members of the Steam Party, and now that he had arrived in the Knight Street area, he knew who was most likely responsible.

The "Anchor Hand" Park, whom he had killed in the conflict, used to be the patrol captain of the Steam Party in this area.

And from that guy's memories, Su'en also extracted some information. It seemed that they had always been capturing people for some kind of "delivery mission."

......

Su'en took Danny for a stroll on the street and found the black truck that was used for capturing people in an inconspicuous alley.

But there was no one on the truck anymore.

After searching, Danny finally determined that the scent of his friends was a few hundred meters away from the truck, inside a building called "Black Jazz" in the West City District.

Su'en had heard of this entertainment club, which was quite famous in the West City District and very lively.

He parked the motorcycle in a dilapidated building that went unnoticed and let Danny hide in the darkness.

Then, he swaggered down Knight Street.

The West City District was the territory of the Steam Party and the place with the strongest steam punk elements in the entire outer city. Everywhere on the streets, one could see people with various modified mechanical arms and prosthetics. Most of the buildings on the street were either Saxon or Romanesque domed gray-black structures, with steel frames and steam boiler smokestacks on the exterior walls. The street was filled with complex train tracks, and there were multi-layered steel train bridges overhead. Steam trains passed by from time to time, emitting a burst of white smoke.

It was a lively and bustling scene, this was "Green Street" in the West City District.

Su'en hadn't taken many steps when a man with a sharp face approached him mysteriously, saying, "Hey friend, do you want to modify your prosthetics? I have the cheapest goods from the outer city here, with a one-year warranty..."

In the territory of the Steam Party, there was a shortage of everything except for shops that specialized in mechanical modifications.

Su'en, dressed in a rock style, didn't have any mechanical prosthetics installed on him. In the eyes of these local snakes, he was a potential customer.

But these shops that needed to attract customers usually had mediocre modification skills, with a high possibility of infection, distortion, or malfunction.

Although he hadn't been here before, because he had absorbed a large number of memory fragments from the gang last time, he was not unfamiliar with these tricks.

Seeing that Su'en ignored him, the guy approached again, "Friend, I also have high-end goods from the inner city. Do you want to take a look?"

Su'en didn't say a word, but showed the gun at his waist. Only then did the guy leave.

He was familiar with the ways of the gang. The more polite you were to these persistent guys, the more troublesome it became.

Su'en walked straight to the "Black Jazz Club."

Then he encountered pimps, little girls selling flowers, and cigarette vendors...

"Brother, do you want a girl? Just arrived from the inner city, only three thousand Lisuo for one night. Oh, you may not know, the skin of those noble ladies is so tender..."

"Sir, do you need a rose?"

"The best Berkeley brand cigarettes, Baghm Factory cigars. Would you like a box, sir?"

"..."

Su'en flicked a ten Lisuo coin to the little girl and took a rose, then walked into the club's entrance.

Inside the entrance was a security area surrounded by iron fences, with a neat row of firearms hanging on the wall. Several well-built men in suits with sunglasses were standing with their hands inserted, scrutinizing the passing guests. These were the Steam Party's helpers responsible for security, just like Su'en's previous job.

These guys paid special attention to unfamiliar faces.

Naturally, they noticed Su'en, who was visiting for the first time.

Entering the enemy gang's stronghold, Su'en showed no signs of fear. He walked in confidently like an old regular customer and even handed the rose to the bunny girl in a sexy bunny costume at the entrance.

He didn't know where he had extracted the memory from, but he happened to know this girl. "Hey, Moyira, do you want to have a few drinks with me tonight?"The bunny girl looked at Su'en and immediately approached him, saying, "Oh, sir, it's been a long time since you last came..."

The professionalism of the night club girls was such that even if they didn't remember you at all, they would still act as if they recognized you.

Su'en laughed and naturally wrapped his arms around the slender waist of the girl, entering the club.

As a familiar customer of the club, the attention of those around instantly shifted away from him.

.......

Upon entering the club, there was a lobby with a dance floor and a large stage.

The lights were dim, and the air was filled with the scent of hallucinogens and the intoxicating aroma of hormones.

Su'en had become numb to the entertainment scene on Green Street. There was nothing new here, just the same pole dancers and seductive showgirls on the runway...

A band with zombie makeup was playing wildly on the stage, while men and women in the dance floor moved their bodies to the beat of heavy metal music...

Su'en sat with the bunny girl in a corner booth, drinking.

With a tip of a thousand miles, he enjoyed the gentle and enthusiastic service of this girl named Moyila.

After all, this was the territory of a rival gang.

Su'en's plan was simple: if a problem could be solved with money, he would try not to resort to violence.

One could easily spend a lot of money here, and three and a half kids wouldn't make much of a dent.

By drinking in the night club, he could become familiar with the place and smoothly conduct business without seeming out of place.

After a while, as they drank, the girl's face flushed, indicating that the timing was right. Su'en casually clinked his glass and said to the girl, "Hey, Moyila, is 'Golden Tooth' Bali here?"

Illegal human trafficking within the gang usually involved specialized slave traders, and Bali was the broker who operated in the "Black Jazz" club.

The girl took a sip of her drink and lazily replied, "Bali? Mr. Nicholas, are you looking to buy some slaves?"

Su'en said, "Yes. A nobleman in the inner city needs a group of children to train as household servants. I want to pick a few sensible ones to send over..."

As the girl listened, she became even more attached, coquettishly saying, "Oh, I almost forgot, Mr. Nicholas, your business is connected to the nobles in the inner city, right? Shall I inform Bali?"

Su'en smiled and said, "That would be great."

.......

Before long, a thin man with a gold tooth and a mechanical vest approached.

"Sir, I heard that you need to buy some slaves?"

"I heard that you have good merchandise. I'm looking for some younger ones..."

"Then you've come to the right person."

After a brief conversation, Su'en followed Bali out of the club through the back door. They descended the iron staircase to the basement, which looked like a prison cell.

Inside the iron-barred cells were more than ten young women in a panic, all of them young and attractive. They were topless, with only small pieces of cloth covering their private parts, and most of them had whip marks on their fair skin.

Such illegal human trafficking was common in the outer city.

Bali introduced with a flattering smile, "Sir, these are truly good merchandise. Some of them were recently sent from noble families in the inner city. Look at their grace and legs, they understand the true etiquette of nobility. If you buy them, they will serve you well."

Su'en was not here to buy female slaves, and since he didn't see those three and a half kids, he showed his dissatisfaction, saying, "I say, Bali, is this all you have? I need young ones that can be trained as household servants!"

Pausing for a moment, he added provocatively, "I heard that you have the best merchandise on Knight Street!"

Upon hearing this, Bali immediately patted his chest and said, "Of course! I guarantee that the merchandise in my hands is the best and most complete in the entire Knight Street area!"

Su'en glanced at him, meaning: Is that all?

Bali explained with a troubled expression, "To be honest, these are all truly good merchandise. The ones that are slightly inferior... I didn't keep them."

Hearing this, Su'en said, "I say, Bali, I need a few young ones, preferably around eleven or twelve years old, both boys and girls. As long as the merchandise satisfies me, the price is negotiable!"

Since Danny confirmed that the person was in this building, there must be other places where slaves were held.

Bali must know about it.

Sure enough, when Su'en mentioned the negotiable price, Bali immediately changed his tune, saying, "Please wait a moment, I'll bring a few for you to see."

Su'en waved his hand and said, "No need to trouble yourself, just take me to see them directly."

As expected, there was another slave warehouse.

But when Bali heard that Su'en wanted to go, he looked hesitant and said, "Um... I'm sorry, it's not very convenient."Su'en realized that it might be a secret base, but he didn't insist. He waved his hand impatiently and said, "Forget it, just hurry up."

"Alright, please wait a moment, it won't take long."

Bali left his two subordinates behind and walked out alone.

There were people guarding nearby, but Su'en didn't wander around. He sat on a chair with his legs crossed, seemingly careless but actually listening attentively.

He listened to the sound of the iron staircase outside the door. After Bali went out, it seemed like he went upstairs and then came back down a few minutes later.

Su'en's ears twitched slightly, and he silently thought to himself, "That guy went to the third room on the left on the third floor, then came down and walked at least one hundred and ten steps to the southwest. It should be in that building... What did he go up for? To report to the boss?"

Just by listening to the sound outside the door, Su'en had already deduced Bali's walking path and was silently contemplating his backup plan.

.......

Before long, Bali came back again, followed by eight half-sized children chained with iron.

They were all dressed in tattered clothes, clearly just caught thieves and homeless orphans from the neighborhood. Some of them had resisted and were beaten up, with bruises on their faces.

Su'en took a look and indeed saw a familiar face, he remembered his name was Brown.

But...weren't there three of them?

There was only one here, which meant that the other two were still locked up.

Su'en looked at them and felt that things were getting a little troublesome.

Bali looked at Su'en without saying a word and asked, "Are you not satisfied?"

Su'en pursed his lips, pretending to be uninterested.

These few were actually of good quality, even better than the other two he was looking for. But it would be meaningless to buy them all at once.

If he were to be more selective, it would appear that his intentions were not so pure.

Su'en shook his head, took out a stack of tips and left them on the table, as if he had lost interest. "They barely pass...but the boss needs the real deal. Bali, my friend, I'll trouble you to keep an eye out for me in the next few days. I'll come back to take a look."

Although the deal didn't go through, Bali looked at the tips on the table and smiled happily, "Don't worry, sir. In three to five days at most, I guarantee I can find what satisfies you."

........

Su'en returned to the private room in the hall, and the bunny girl was still waiting for him there.

"Mr. Nicholas, didn't you find a suitable one?"

"Sigh...Bali doesn't have anything that satisfies me for now. I'll have to come back in a few days."

"That's a pity. Sir, would you like a drink?"

Su'en picked up the glass, but in his mind, he was thinking that if the deal couldn't be made, he might have to resort to force.

Fortunately, he already knew the location of the detention, so it wasn't too troublesome.

At this moment, he suddenly felt that the person who flashed past in the dance floor seemed familiar. He said, "Huh...why do I feel like I've seen that person before?"

He didn't look closely, so he couldn't remember who it was, but he guessed it was someone from his fragmented memories.

The bunny girl accompanied Su'en for another round of drinks. Su'en felt that it was time to take action. He said, "Wait for me for a few minutes, I'll go to the restroom."

The bunny girl seemed to misunderstand something and smiled ambiguously, "Sure~ Do you want me to accompany you?"

In the nightclub, the restroom was not just a place to relieve oneself, it could also be a place for transactions...

Su'en took out some tips and stuffed them into her cleavage, wiped off the oil, and smiled, "Just wait for me."

With that, he left the seat gracefully.

........

Su'en left the private room and went to the restroom.

Avoiding the drunken customers, he directly climbed out of the restroom window and appeared in the back alley. He took off his coat and covered his face with a skull mask.

Because of his excellent hearing ability, he could easily avoid others.

"One hundred and ten steps to the southwest, it should be that small building. There are two guys drinking on the second floor, most likely undercover guards..."

Su'en was very familiar with the habits of the gangsters, and he could easily distinguish between the customers and the steam gang members.

Taking advantage of the guards' distraction, Su'en quickly approached the small building.

Then he sneaked in and indeed saw a basement with a heavy iron door.

There were three guards playing cards at the entrance. Su'en walked over and, in the astonished gazes of the three, pulled out a silenced pistol and took care of two of them with two shots.

Then he pointed the gun at the last person's head and said coldly, "Open the door."

The person was already trembling in fear, "The...the key is with Boss Dam."

"Where is Dam?"

"On the third floor... Room 303."

Su'en didn't waste any words. He shot the guy in the head.

The lock on the heavy iron door was complex, not something that could be opened with mere technical skills. He turned around and left the basement.

.......

Su'en had guessed that Barley had gone to the third floor earlier, probably to get the key.

He didn't take the stairs guarded by the Steam Party, but instead went to the small alley outside the bathroom where bottles were piled up. In the shadows, he undid his plant suit, his spider-like arms firmly gripping the wall, easily climbing up.

He didn't rush to go up, but instead listened carefully on the outer wall of the second floor.

"There's only one person's breathing, it must be Damu."

Damu was the head of the slave traders in the Knight District, not a professional, and posed little threat to Su'en.

His original plan was to go in, kill the guy, get the key, and solve the problem within a minute.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he showed his head at the window, his gaze froze.

Inside the room... a naked fat man was tied to a chair, a woman with short purple hair was holding a knife to his throat, seemingly "interrogating" him.

The man was naturally the slave trader Damu, and looking at the woman, Su'en finally understood why he had found the fleeting figure in the dance floor strangely familiar.

It was... the mysterious woman who topped the black market bounty list with a reward of three million!