Steam Old Days: The Extraordinary Begins with a Corpse Collector

A voice came from behind me; it was a woman's voice.

Lyndon paused in his skinning process, then slowly turned his head to look behind him.

Hannah was the first to wake up.

She stumbled toward Lyndon, one hand on her waist and the other holding a gun.

Hannah's once vibrant red hair was now covered in grime from lying on the dirty ground, the strands clumped together and lost their original luster.

"What? You want to kill me now that I've just survived?"

Lyndon remained calm.

After saying that, he lowered his head again and began to work on the monster's skin.

Hearing that familiar voice, Hannah paused, then asked suspiciously, "You... are you from that mysterious space?"

"Otherwise what? Could there be anyone else here?"

Lyndon didn't look up. He tried to cut the monster's chest with his knife for a long time, but he couldn't get the skin off.

He frowned and muttered to himself:

"How come this beast's hide is so tough? I should have bought a sharper knife."

Lyndon thought for a moment, then turned to Hannah and said, "Hey! Is your sword sharp enough?"

"Huh? My sword? It's... it's alright."

Upon hearing this, Hannah drew the short sword from her waist.

The sword blade was drawn, its cold light gleaming.

It is indeed a fine sword.

Lyndon's eyes lit up, and he smiled slyly.

"What...what do you want to do?"

Hannah felt a chill run down her spine when she saw Lyndon's lewd smile. She instinctively held her sword horizontally in front of her chest and took a step back with her right foot.

"Don't be afraid." Lyndon smiled as he stepped off the monster and slowly approached Hannah. "I just need you to do me a small favor, a very small favor."

"No, no, don't come any closer!" Hannah's fragile voice echoed in the quiet pumping station.

……

"Ugh, my head hurts so much! And my chest too."

Buck collapsed onto the damp ground and rubbed his dazed head.

Memories of what happened before and during his coma kept resurfacing in his mind, and Buck quickly recalled his current situation.

"I was injured by that monster, then a mysterious person pulled me into a mysterious space, and then..."

Buck touched his chest; it was still somewhat dented, but compared to the wound that had almost collapsed halfway in before, it had almost completely healed.

"Phew! Looks like we've managed to survive."

Buck didn't get up. He lay on the ground, staring at the brass pipes of varying thicknesses on the roof, a relieved smile gradually creeping onto his lips.

"I'm so tired, let me rest for a while, then I'll continue."

"No! My time is precious and can't be wasted! Stop talking and keep your head down."

Suddenly, a conversation between a man and a woman reached Buck's ears.

The man was assertive, while the woman was submissive, her voice tinged with weariness and sobs.

But none of that matters. The important thing is, why does this girl's voice sound so much like Hannah's?

Buck braced himself on his elbows and sat up abruptly, looking in the direction of the sound.

Hannah was seen with a mournful face, half-squatting in front of a young man, holding something in her hands and moving it back and forth.

"Hannah!"

Buck called out Hannah's name urgently.

Upon hearing Buck's voice, Lyndon and Hannah both turned to look.

Looking at Buck who had woken up, Hannah's face showed shock and panic.

"Brother, you're awake!"

Hannah immediately dropped the dagger in her hand and ran to him crying.

Lyndon looked at the sword Hannah had dropped and shook his head helplessly.

"Oh no, I missed it. I'll have to do it myself."

So Lyndon picked up the sword and began to dispose of the monster's corpse himself.

Fortunately, Hannah had already helped him remove a lot of the most difficult-to-peel skin, so Lyndon could directly make an incision and remove the monster's organs.

At the same time, Hannah threw herself into Buck's arms.

Buck gently patted Hannah's back, comforting his younger sister.

"It's okay, it's okay, don't cry. Tell your brother, what were you doing just now?"

It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned, because as soon as it was brought up, Hannah's pent-up resentment immediately resurfaced.

She pointed at Lyndon in the distance with a wronged expression and complained, "Brother! That awful guy lied to me! He lied and said that if I didn't listen to him, he would make sure you never woke up again!"

"So he..." Buck glanced at Lyndon, recognizing him as the one who appeared in the mysterious space, "What did he ask you to do?"

Hannah raised her hand and opened her palm.

"What do you mean?" Buck asked.

"He made me cut the monster's skin. The skin was hard to cut and smelled awful. I said I'd rest for a while before cutting, but he wouldn't let me!"

"Then why is your face so red?"

Hannah touched her face and said in a muffled voice, "I'm tired."

Upon hearing this, Buck's lips twitched.

He thought to himself, "So that's what you guys are doing. I thought..."

Buck shook his head and asked Hannah to help him up.

He had just stood up from the ground when the other members of the team also woke up from their coma.

"Brother, where are we? Is this heaven?"

Ethan's speech was still as incoherent as ever.

Sean, on the other hand, hasn't said a single word since he stood up.

Titan watched as Lyndon burrowed into the monster's body, leaving only half of his body exposed.

He pointed at Lyndon's buttocks, his mouth slightly open, unable to utter a word.

"Big brother..."

Ethan was amazed by the wild scene.

Buck raised his hand to signal the others to be quiet, and then, supported by Hannah, he came to Lyndon's side. He stood there quietly, waiting for Lyndon to come out.

Lyndon rummaged around inside the monster for a while, then pulled out a glowing gland.

[Proficiency in handling artificial mutant corpses +10]

[Processing the corpse of the artificial mutant yields one gland, increasing proficiency by 20]

【收尸人LV.3（280/300）—>LV.4(10/400)】

[Gained new skill: Frenzy Spear (Active)]

"Finally upgraded, looks like it's an offensive skill."

Lyndon took a deep breath, feeling incredibly exhilarated.

I already have few ways to counter others. Although I have the skill [Dream Weaving], the existence of nightmares prevents me from using it freely.

But this new skill should be able to fill the gap in my skill set.

The mucus dripped through Lyndon's fingers as he looked at the gland in his hand, a satisfied smile curving his lips.

"This should be worth a lot of money."

"Your Excellency," Buck said, stepping forward.

It was only then that Linden noticed that the five members of the Witcher squad were all staring at him.

Lyndon calmly put down the gland in his hand, put one hand behind his back, and asked, "What do you want?"

Buck clutched his chest and said humbly, "Your Excellency need not worry. You saved us, and according to the agreement, the monster's corpse belongs to you. Besides, we did not come here for it. Rest assured, I will respect the oath between us as I would respect Nicholas, the god of light and glory, and will not let it be tarnished."

Lyndon raised an eyebrow: "Cronus? You're a member of the Holy Church?"

Buck nodded. "Yes, my family and I, as well as my ancestors, are devout followers of the Cronus sect."

"Hmm, judging from your appearance, you seem to be a soldier. Did you serve in the military before?"

"As you said, I was previously a corporal in the 1st Battalion of the United Kingdom Light Infantry Regiment." Buck's face showed pride when he talked about his previous position.

"So how did you become a Witcher?"

Buck said with regret, "I was wounded on the battlefield, and after being discharged, I became a Witcher to take care of my sister."

After saying that, Buck glanced at Hannah, his eyes full of guilt.

"This is also due to the pressures of life."

Lyndon stroked his chin and asked again, "I remember there should be a subsidy policy for your situation, right?"

According to his understanding, retired Kingdom soldiers are entitled to a weekly allowance of six shillings. If they have made any significant contributions during their time in the army, they can earn at least nine shillings or even one gold pound per week. How could they have fallen to this state?

Buck gave a wry smile upon hearing this: "Your Excellency may not understand, but how can the kingdom's enforcement and regulations be applied equally to everyone?"

Lyndon was taken aback, and then he suddenly spat on the ground.

"Damn it, it's black!"

"Whether it's dark or not, that's how things are. I can only do my own thing," Buck comforted himself.

Lin looked Buck up and down, and felt a sense of respect for him.

"I think you've come for the Ghoul King, haven't you?"

Upon hearing Lyndon reveal the purpose of their trip, the five members of the team exchanged glances.

Lyndon continued, "I won't fight you for the Ghoul King's core. We can't let you come all this way for nothing. Go find it yourself!"

"Thank you very much."

After Buck finished speaking, he was about to lead his team away from the pumping station.

"Wait a moment."

Suddenly, Lyndon called out to the group again.

Do you have any bags? Could I have one?

Buck glanced at the monster's corpse beneath Lyndon and understood Lyndon's thoughts.

He said to Sean, "Get him an ether bottle."

Sean received the order and took a brass jar from the bag behind him.

Buck gave the brass jar to Lyndon.

Lyndon looked at the brass pot in his hand and began to examine it curiously.

This jar is made of heavy brass and is engraved with precise markings and intricate symbols.

There is a glass window on the jar, through which Lyndon can see the colored particles of light floating inside the bottle.

The top and bottom of the can are respectively a spherical electrode and a conical discharge needle.

The tank body is connected to the pressure gauge above via a thin channel, and there is a knob below.

"How do I use this?"

Looking at the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, Linden felt like a country bumpkin who had never seen the strange treasures of the big city.

Buck took the ether bottle back from Lyndon and decided to demonstrate it to him in front of everyone.

"Sir, please put down the gland in your hand."

Linden did as instructed.

Buck steadily lifted the ether bottle, turned the knob, and then aimed the spherical electrode at the gland on the ground.

A beam of light shone from the electrodes and onto the gland.

In an instant, the glands were gradually broken down into tiny particles, which were then spirally drawn into the jar by the electrodes.

As the gland was sucked into the jar, the pointer on the pressure gauge shifted a few degrees to the left.

"That's it? That's amazing!"

Lyndon opened his mouth wide, took the ether bottle from Buck's hand, and began to examine it carefully.

"What's the underlying principle?"

Lyndon asked curiously.

"It's actually quite simple. I don't know if you've read the research report from the Royal Society. It records that the research suggests that all things have duality, meaning that all entities have a material form and an intangible etheric essence diffused in space."

Buck pointed through the window at the colored particles of light inside and continued, "This device is called an ether bottle. It can temporarily collapse objects into a pure ether phase through high pressure and ionization. As long as it does not exceed the maximum limit of the pressure gauge, objects of any size can be stored in the bottle, which is very convenient."

"Then how do we restore the object?" Lyndon asked, holding the ether bottle.

Buck said, "By simply turning the knob in the opposite direction, a catalytic solvent in the can can re-condense the etheric essence back into its original form."

Lyndon's smile never stopped after receiving this wonderful treasure.

Seeing that Lyndon really liked the gift, Buck was relieved.

Anyway, they had another one in their bag, so they gave this one to Lyndon as a gift.

Before parting, Buck suddenly asked Lyndon's name.

Lyndon was taken aback at first, then his eyes darted around, and he said in a serious tone, "My name is Alastor, Alastor Copperfield!"

"Very well, Lord Alastor, may we meet again!"

Buck bowed deeply, then led his team to search for the Ghoul King's whereabouts.

They were searching in the direction the monster had come from.

The road reeked of blood, and the five-person team saw countless ghoul remains along the way, making it feel like a living hell.

Finally, after searching, the team found three ghoul corpses inside a pipe.

The three ghouls died in a gruesome manner, basically being torn to pieces alive.

Based on the corpses remaining at the scene, the largest one should be the ghoul king, and the other two should be its challengers.

Unfortunately, they didn't die in the competition, but at the hands of monsters of unknown origin.

Fortunately, the crystal core inside the Ghoul King's body is still intact.

This caused the team members to scream with excitement.

Buck generously declared, "Today, it's on me! Let's go out for a big meal!"

……

Inside the restaurant, the Witcher squad sat around an oak table.

On the table were roasted potatoes, stewed meat, and ale.

"To Captain Buck!" Ethan raised his glass. "This haul is worth at least fifty gold pounds!"

Titan clapped with a grin, while Sean sipped his ale, a blush creeping onto his fair cheeks.

Hannah seemed to have something on her mind.

"Everyone," Buck tapped the table, picked up his glass, and stood up. "Thank you all. Without you, this mission would never have been completed. So, a toast to you all, and to this thrilling journey!"

After saying that, the five of them clinked glasses, and the restaurant was immediately filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

"Would you like some bread? It's fresh out of the oven and still warm!"

The restaurant owner brought a large bowl of bread to the table.

"Phew! I want one!"

"Me too!"

"Save me a piece!"

The five men, enjoying the stew and wine, tore open pieces of bread and chewed them slowly.

The aroma of wheat instantly fills your mouth.

"Looks like you made a good amount of money this time," the restaurant owner said to Buck with a smile. "Can you tell me what you got?"

Faced with the restaurant owner's curiosity, Buck chuckled and put his arm around the owner's neck, advising, "Old buddy, you know how it is in our line of work—the rule is not to talk too much. Please understand."

The restaurant owner gave an awkward smile: "I was being nosy, never mind. Oh! By the way, I have a bounty here, do you want it? It's quite a reward, it was fifty before, but the person who offered the bounty has raised it to fifty-five!"

The five members of the team immediately became interested.

A drunk Sean slammed his hand on the table and ordered the restaurant owner to bring him the bounty poster.

When the boss brought the bounty poster to the group, the four who were initially very excited fell silent instantly, staring blankly at the photo on the poster.

After a long while, Buck pointed to the name on the screen and slowly murmured it like a child learning to read: "Lydon Copperfield..."