Cyberzaun, Machinarium

"Maybe it was someone from downtown who did it?"

Jace turned around suddenly and looked at the councillors who had rushed over after receiving the notice. He carefully scanned their expressions, hesitated for a moment, and then firmly rejected it.

"Impossible. Let's not talk about how the people in the city knew that I set up this place as a laboratory. The most important thing is that I have put all intersections under martial law since the night before yesterday. How did they brazenly enter here with explosives and then detonate the bomb?"

"Calm down, Jace," Midalda advised promptly, "Could it be that the trainee researcher made a mistake and caused the accident?"

"Impossible. This is a storage area. It only contains Hex Gems and a few stabilizing devices. There is absolutely no way an explosion could occur."

"And the accident caused by this explosion was quite precise." Heimerdinger looked at the deformed and twisted metal in the room and the dark front thoughtfully. "This explosion cleverly destroyed all traces in the entire room, but subtly did not damage the overall structure of the house..."

"The people in the lower city are too lawless. Maybe it's time for us to intervene. We can't let the unrest continue." Councilman Bolpok, wrapped in machinery, looked very excited. The gears were running fast, and the steam brought by the pistons was spraying out from the gaps between the parts.

"Ahem, I think," Councillor Hoskar said in a reserved manner after clearing his throat, "perhaps both of us are responsible for the current situation. My opinion is that we should have a talk with the leaders of Zaun at this stage, gather manpower from each other, and open the port. At least before the Evolution Day, our goals are the same as Zaun's. Zaun also needs smuggling orders from abroad. Making trouble now will only make other city-states laugh at us."

"I never knew you knew so much about the lower city." Lady Gillaman looked at the young councillor strangely. After all, based on her past experience, he usually had no opinions of his own and would just follow behind Midalda to pick up some leftovers.

"Well, that's because of my staff, he... he has Zaun, uh... I mean he has a certain understanding of Zaun." Noticing the disapproving looks from Kewald and Councillor Sari, Hoskar hurriedly explained hesitantly.

"But the situation is different now," Jace explained to the congressmen with a headache, "A simple attack might be due to the public's dissatisfaction, but six Hextech gems were missing in this attack."

Seeing the confused look in the congressman's eyes, Jace emphasized again: "Six stable, small gems containing huge energy sources are missing."

"Given Zaun's situation, if we give them time, they might be able to successfully channel these energies. We are in trouble."

"I don't see any trouble." Hoskar was a little dissatisfied. His goal had not been achieved yet. "Could it be that they can secretly build a Hextech flying door? Or even a mining machine?"

"I think what Jayce means is that if they abuse the energy in it, given Zaun's environment and geographical location, there is a possibility of another explosion affecting both cities. Just like the disaster when the Grand Canal was dug last time, do you think that area will sink this time?"

Heimerdinger sternly warned everyone, and this time the councilors finally came to their senses. Everyone knew about the accident, and everyone was aware of the consequences - after all, it was after that accident that Piltover grew to such a size by sucking the blood of Zaun.

"This is my negligence in my job." Jace looked at everything in front of him in frustration. He began to understand that the development of this matter might be beyond his expectations.

"No, no, no, in fact you did a good job. I suggest that we take control of the lower city now." Hoskar's face turned pale. He seemed to have just realized what a good thing he had done. For the first time, he hoped that the person who cooperated with him was a mediocre person. Now he could only pray that Enoch would not act too quickly.

"Absolutely not." Senator Meier glanced at the abnormal Hoskar, "Forceful intervention in the lower city now will only make the other side take risks. I think we are pushing Zaun too hard."

"I will communicate with my companions to deal with these issues. I still need some time, but I hope that Piltover can be put under martial law to prevent another attack."

"I agree," Mel nodded first, "It's a very reasonable request. I support you, Councillor Tallis."

........................

"Is there any way we can locate the gem?" Watching the congressmen leave one after another, Jace found Victor who was cleaning up his belongings.

"Impossible. The gems are too stable. You can't find them unless you check everyone's pockets."

"Or find a local tongue and ask them for information," Jace whispered to himself.

"Don't look at me. I haven't been back to Zaun for a long time, and I don't have any friends who are so well-connected." Victor didn't care about his background. "On the contrary, I have to remind you that many people in Zaun and Piltover have relatives and friends on the other side. The two cities are not as clear-cut as you think. If the control lasts too long, maybe not only Zaun, but also Piltover will launch a march."

Jayce sat aside dejectedly. "I need to go to Zaun privately to see if I can find someone I can talk to. I remember the owner of the store I went to before was a very powerful person. I wonder if he's still around now."

"Maybe, you can visit my home first." In the shadows, an elegant lady came out from behind.

"Mrs. Gillaman? I mean... Councillor Gillaman, hello."

Nodding slightly in return, Jiraman thought of his daughter and the "friend" who had just been released from the wanted list and stayed in her bedroom. He cleared his throat and said, "My daughter went to the downtown area when she was chasing the enemy a few days ago. She has some suggestions to offer."

"Great, how about this afternoon?"

"welcome any time."

........................

"I heard that you are not living well in the lower city? Tell me what you want."

"No, I just want respect and decency. I want you to promise that if I help you, you will support me to become a major family in Piltover."

"Of course, my friend, this is a good opportunity for you to turn from evil to good, but you also have to make me believe you, why are you not a double agent."

……

"Very good, very interesting. I believe you. I promise that the more information you provide, the more support we will give you."

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Chapter 85 Return to Zaun

Wei clenched his fists tightly and glanced towards the door from time to time.

"Don't be nervous," Caitlin whispered to comfort her.

"I'm not nervous," Vi retorted immediately. It might be because the Piltover man she might meet soon was in charge of Zaun affairs. She was always worried that her opinions would not be conveyed clearly. If she caused Zaun to suffer greater harm due to her unclear expression, she would not be able to forgive herself.

"Calm down, Vi. I know the person you'll meet later. Jayce is a good man. You can try to trust him." She gently placed her hand on Vi's bandaged arm. She hoped that she could help this girl who had been hurt by Piltover.

With a sigh, Wei gradually relaxed and said in a low voice, "I miss my sister. I should have gone back last night."

"It's not your fault. It's because you want to take care of me... Maybe this time we can make the councilors face up to the injustice of Piltover and the oppression of Zaun. We can change everything. We can try to escape Zaun from poverty, disease and the harm of the light."

"Thank you, little cake." She leaned on Caitlin's shoulder and left quickly before the policewoman could express her dissatisfaction. Wei stood up proudly and imitated the person opposite her to tidy up her clothes.

"What are you doing?" Jiraman glanced at the two of them in dissatisfaction, then gestured to the outside, "Come out, the young man from the Tallis family is here."

Jace, who was in the room, saw the two people walking in side by side and immediately stood up, looking at his friend with concern, "Are you okay? I heard you were injured."

"It's nothing serious." Caitlin smiled, patted Jace's shoulder gently, turned around and introduced today's protagonist to the young councillor, "This is my friend, Wei. She is a real Zaun. Even though we and Zaun have hurt her to varying degrees, she is still willing to help us."

Jace bowed politely and turned to shake hands with Wei. "Hello Miss Wei, I heard you have some news."

"I'm not a lady, just call me Wei." After glancing at the hand in front of her, Wei shook it awkwardly after a while. After calming down, Wei looked into the eyes of Senator Tallis.

"Honestly, I don't know what you guys do all day long. Hilco did so many things in the lower city. He threatened, attacked, and smuggled, but none of you cared. You guys helped him a lot to control the entire lower city today."

Hearing Wei's complaints, Jace asked in confusion: "What is the origin of that Hilco? I have never heard of such a person."

"We originally thought he was just a businessman in Zaun, and he was said to have a good reputation," Caitlin explained quickly, but there was no more information.

Wei snorted with a bit of disdain, "How interesting! Where did you hear that? Where would a businessman blow up anyone who disagrees with him?"

"What explosion? Are you referring to the prison explosion a few days ago?" After hearing the sensitive information, Jace immediately asked.

"No, no, I mean those explosions that were called factory accidents. Hilco was smuggling Shimmer all over Zaun. Half the city was full of drug addicts, and you didn't know anything about it."

Without paying attention to the more horrifying facts mentioned by Wei, Jace immediately asked the most important question at the moment, "Do you know who did the bombing?"

"This..." Caitlin couldn't help but hesitate. She only vaguely knew something about the relationship between Wei and that girl. She really didn't want to reveal such an embarrassing fact. She could only hesitate for a long time and couldn't answer a word. Her hand unconsciously touched the wound that had just healed.

"It's Jinx." Wei stepped forward and patted Caitlyn gently. "I don't mean to quibble, but she was controlled. I believe this."

After a pause, Jace did not pursue the matter further. He just changed the subject and continued to ask, "If everything you said is true, then Max lied to us. Why?"

"Who knows? Maybe he gave some benefits or made some threats. It's all possible." Wei didn't care about these problems at all. Hilco had plenty of means.

"We have to take action." Jace now just felt a headache. Who would have thought that there would be so many problems involved, especially when his fellow congressmen would hold him back from time to time.

"But the other councillors don't want to start a dispute before Evolution Day. They hope to reach a consensus with the Lower City. I can only choose to negotiate with him first."

"Negotiate? Did your head get hit by the door? You know he will never agree. Every time you give in now will only make him more dangerous." Wei was a little excited. She originally thought that this was a tough guy, but she didn't expect that he would be so cowardly at this time.

"Don't worry about those people. They don't know the situation in the lower city. Wake up. Hilco hates you. What he wants to do is to separate Zaun from Piltover."

Jayce was silent for a long time like a statue, so long that Wei began to think that the other party was asleep. Jayce finally made up his mind, "I know, I will take action. It's time to be a little radical. I need some time to prepare Hextech weapons."

"Take me one, handsome." Wei clapped her hands with Jace in satisfaction, watching his bewildered look with interest. "I'll go with you. Hilco and I have some personal grudges to settle."

………………

The preparation time was quick. When Wei ran to Jayce's workshop the next afternoon, she saw Jayce sweating profusely as he installed the handle of a huge warhammer.

"I guess you've been waiting for this day for a long time." Wei raised an eyebrow and looked at the hextech weapons on the shelves around her. "I don't think you made these things on a whim."

"What are you here for?"

Looking at the boxing gloves on the side with boredom, Vi signaled Jayce not to be nervous. "I came here to tell you the route to Zaun. By the way, I was kicked out of that beautiful big house, and Caitlyn was also grounded. Her mother got the news from somewhere and didn't want her injured daughter to get involved in this mess again."

"You hate her?" Jace was a little wary.

Wei shook her head, put on her gloves and adjusted herself to them. "No, I'm very grateful that she helped me get to this point, and I also understand that... old lady? After all, she has no obligation to help Zaun anymore."

Waving his fist, Wei said with a sigh, "I also had a pair of boxing gloves before, which were custom-made for me by someone else. They were not as fancy as yours, but they were just as useful."

"Your friend?" Jace put the last piece together and prepared to set off immediately.

"I'm not sure. I have to go ask him." After flexing her fingers, Wei looked at the neatly dressed Jace.

"Are you ready? We have a lot of places to go tonight."

Chapter 86 Guardian Angel

Jace moved quickly, especially as a newly elected councillor with an impulsive and forceful personality.

Considering that this guy's office had just been bombed, no one would trip him up at this time.

Jayce successfully led a team of law enforcement officers and quietly and covertly set out from the port of Piltover. After making a big circle, he landed at a seemingly abandoned port in Zaun and quietly reached the factory area.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Hiding quietly behind the breakwater, Jace looked at the local who was most familiar with the terrain among the people present.

"It's up to you." Wei pointed to the factory area in front. "This place is the lifeblood of Hilco. The Glimmer Factory is his money bag, and the Military Factory is his knife. He will show up no matter which of the two is occupied. You can also go directly to the Black Alley to find him, but he will easily run away."

"Can we attack at the same time?" Jace looked at the terrain. The factory in the distance had been specially treated, and he could faintly hear a roar in the distance, but no light could be seen leaking out.

"There are only about 20 of us in total. How can we split into two groups to launch a surprise attack? Do you think there is only one security guard here? I won't be surprised if a group of people jump out later."

"Forget it." Jace shook his head and stood on the railway extending from the port. "Let's attack along the railway. With luck, we will have enough time to deal with the factory on the other side."

Most of the subsequent developments were in line with Jayce's wishes. With her rich experience, Wei sneaked over and easily knocked out the sentry, covering Jayce and the law enforcement officer as they broke down the door and easily captured the staff inside.

If the law enforcement officer had not been a little careless about the child laborers, the sneak attack would have been almost perfect.

Zaun's turbo alchemy tank greatly increased the guards' protection. These remnants, who were so exhausted from the light that their brains were almost burned out, were able to suppress even Wei, a street fighting master who had been honed bit by bit, with their short-term excitement.

If it weren't for the Hextech technology designed by Jayce, only a few people would be able to walk out today.

So a strange scene appeared on the field. The congressman who had never fought before and could only swing a hammer, holding the advanced Hextech creation "Mercury's Hammer", shot through all the guards who rushed up one by one. On the contrary, the well-trained law enforcement officer was chased by the alchemy can.

It was not until the hot-blooded congressman took care of a child laborer that Jace began to calm down and back off.

"That's it." Jace squatted beside the dead child laborer

"What? We haven't even met Hilco yet." Wei questioned Jace who was lying at the bottom. She thought this congressman was firm enough.

Jace looked a little bit desperate. He slammed the hammer in his hand on the ground and complained to Wei tiredly: "Don't you understand? I am also a criminal now. If other children die, how can I explain to their parents?"

"I personally think you don't need to think too much about this issue." There was a sound of footsteps in the dark corridor, and a large number of red light spots were looming in the corridor.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm the person in charge of a nearby factory. You can call me Enoch." Looking at Jace who was half-kneeling on the ground, Enoch saluted politely, then turned to look at Wei on the side and said, "Of course you can call me Littlefinger as you like. After all, we are old friends."

"Damn it, why are you here? It seems like you really like licking Hilco's ass. Why are you so eager to jump out to stop me?" Wei gently turned her boxing gloves, and a burst of pressure smoke was released. Before the fight broke out, she signaled Jayce on the side to pick up his weapon and be careful.

"That's really rude," Enoch was stunned by such harsh words, "It seems that you have been in prison for such a long time and you haven't learned anything else except swearing. You have to understand that there are many people in Zaun who admire you now, you have to pay attention to maintaining your image."

"screw you"

"I'll just assume that you're saying good evening. Long time no see, I missed you so much." Enoch spread his hands as if he was looking at a rebellious daughter who had failed in her family education.

"Let's get back to the point. I'm not here to stop you. On the contrary, I see you want to stop after smashing half of it? This is not good. We must learn to finish what we start." Enoch explained to the two, "It will take at least two hours for Hilco to react. You have to speed up."

"What? Are you crazy?" Wei looked at Enoch in surprise. What was going on? She just thought her sister was a little strange. Could it be that her sister drove Enoch crazy during the two days when she was away from Baobao?

"I'm normal, but you see, I don't like this factory and the glimmer. However, the embarrassing thing is that from my current position, I can't destroy these machines. Now you help me, I will definitely not stop you." Enoch thought for a moment and pointed to the pipe connected to the purple jar after looking at the two people who were a little suspicious.

"I suggest you turn off that valve. When the pressure is too high, the purification equipment will explode."

"You lunatic, life is worthless in your eyes, right? Because of your ambition, this child is now lying here forever." Jace pulled up the weapon, and blue energy began to fill up.

"I have to remind you that you killed the child, not me." Enoch looked at Jace who suddenly calmed down. "But you don't have to blame yourself too much. After all, even if you handled the matter perfectly and destroyed the factory without causing any casualties, these children in front of you will not be able to continue working here because of the closure of the factory.

Maybe they will sneak into the Dance Corridor to pickpocket, maybe go to the Sinkhole to open a mine, or become alchemical test subjects... Considering the current blockade of Piltover, these people will most likely end up on the streets and starve to death."

Enoch approached the fallen body carefully "At least you gave him a quick death... Did you use plasma or plasma?"

Ignoring Enoch's provocation, Jace walked out dragging the hammer. He no longer wanted to stay here.

"Don't leave in such a hurry. You've come here with great difficulty, and I can't let you go back empty-handed." Enoch stared at Jace and smiled maliciously.

"What do you want to do?"

Enoch raised his eyebrows and deliberately changed the subject. "I invite you to stay here for a while. Why is my accent so heavy? I think you can understand me."

"After so many years, you still have a good tongue, Little Finger." Wei, who was listening on the side, could not bear Enoch's words anymore, and moved his shoulders and slowly approached Enoch.