Cyberzaun, Machinarium

But no one knew that a gray shadow flashed across the roof of the laboratory.

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

Jinx's special smoke bomb was very effective. It spread across the bridge and dissipated very slowly. It was not until almost noon that the smoke slowly dispersed.

After seeing that the bridge deck was basically cleared and the vision was normal, Enoch nodded, and the men in the rear received the order and started the diesel engine.

The roar broke the quiet atmosphere of Zaun. The running tracks crushed the road surface on the bridge, and 8 KV-2s moved forward in sequence.

The sudden noise caused the arguing merchants in Piltover to stop and look at the pile of slow-moving mobile toilets.

"What is this? Did the Zaun people bring up their own toilet?" The gunner hiding behind the fortress looked at these slow turtles with a bit of disdain. They walked slower than his own grandmother.

"Okay guys, let's give him a try. We have to be the first to take them down this time. If we succeed, I'll buy you all a drink."

Several people quickly adjusted the angle and fired at the first tank.

With a loud bang, a cloud of smoke filled the turret of the leading KV-2. With the sound of metal turning, the KV-2 slowly turned its muzzle towards the attacking direction. The airflow caused by the turning of the barrel cut through the smoke, and only a dark patch could be seen on its turret. That was the only result of the attack just now.

The 152mm counterattack easily sent the coastal defense artillery turret and its crude fortifications into the sky. It was not until the scattered dust settled that everyone reacted from the roar.

After confirming that there was no threat, the KV-2 moved towards the other side of the bridge again. Now, Piltover had nothing to stop this team of tanks from moving forward.

Patting Finn's shoulder maliciously, and seeing him clenching the lighter in his hand guiltily, Enoch smiled with satisfaction and said, "You can trust these reliable comrades."

Enoch hugged Jinx, who was playing the stare-eye game with Sevica, and walked out. "I'm leaving first. Those guys are not really suitable for the terrain of Piltover. I have to be their eyes."

Chapter 95: Flying Bluebird

Thanks to Hughie's satisfactory performance in Ionia, Enoch immediately put the subsequent strengthening plan on the agenda.

The Catastrophic Plan was born, with solid armor, advanced sighting and observation systems, and a large number of complex weapons. Enoch added all the advanced technologies at his disposal. This was a low-altitude overlord specially designed to be able to easily pry open tanks sold as foreign trade.

Enoch led Jinx, who was observing and aiming in front, to clearly mark the turrets on the ground. The slow-moving KV-2 slowly approached and tore the bunker apart. The few resistances on the roof were easily killed by the machine guns of the Havoc helicopter. Looking at the calm Piltover, Enoch sent a signal to the rear, and all the tanks slowly stopped and stood guard, waiting for the personnel in the rear to come forward.

"Shall we go to the upper city now?" Noticing that the sound of gunfire gradually subsided, the surrounding alchemist barons stared at Silko's every move, waiting for the current unrivaled leader to make a decision.

"Wait a moment," Hilco motioned to the newly recruited chemist behind him, "We were originally standing under the same sky, but we had to breathe different air. Now, let the Piltover guys try the environment of Zaun."

A large number of gas cylinders were dropped into the streets of Piltover Port, and gases with strange colors floated everywhere. Except for a few law enforcement officers who were startled and took out their breathing masks and put them on quickly, a large number of people were caught off guard by these rare things in Zaun's underground area.

The gas was like flowing gasoline, reflecting ominous brilliant colors. Even if one hid indoors, one could not avoid being harmed. As the air mass gradually spread toward Pilgewater, suddenly, a violent storm came from nowhere, rolled up the gas, entangled it, and finally formed a huge tornado, carrying the gas toward the distant sky and ocean.

At the moment the storm appeared, the dashboard of the Enoch helicopter began to ring, half of the warning lights began to flash red warning lights, and the additional energy detection device even reached its highest point at one point.

Trying hard to stabilize the aircraft, Enoch looked at the tornado that suddenly appeared not far away. He could vaguely see a green figure controlling the energy.

"What is this? Is it a magician? Where are they hiding?" Jinx looked at the abnormal scene curiously, switched her helmet to thermal imaging mode, and carefully checked for traces of the caster.

"Maybe not," Enoch thought. "I thought the Blue Bird was still asleep. I didn't expect she would have such strong power."

"what?"

"Remember the bluebird ornaments that were popular a few years ago?"

"Are you talking about the Zaun legend?" Jinx was a little surprised. If the legend was true, Piltover should have been destroyed by the storm long ago based on its behavior. How could she suddenly help Piltover today?

"The legend may not be completely correct, but it at least shows that Zaun and Piltover are one and the same, and are under the same protection." Enoch pulled up the control stick again. "Let's go. I think we can't fight anymore. Let's go back and check the situation."

Hilco and others also saw the sudden abnormal weather and reacted quickly to stop their men's attacks. Many Zaun people even took out their blue bird pendants and prayed slowly for something.

After the tornado subsided for a while, seeing that the other side had no further action, the talents on both sides regrouped again. The infantry fighting vehicles behind Zaun once again became the vanguard, slowly advancing across the bridge and occupying the bridge between Piltover and Zaun.

Under the escort of the infantry fighting vehicle, Hilco and his companions slowly entered Piltover. The councillors across from them seemed to be in a stable mood, but they were less arrogant. This time, they finally learned how to have a good conversation instead of just accusing each other.

"Nice to meet you, congressmen. It seems that you have decided to surrender?" Hilco dragged out his words, irritating the nerves of those present.

"We all agree that continuing the confrontation will not bring any advantages to either of us except pain. Considering the huge pressure and burden on the people, I once again propose that we hold a peace talk," said Councillor Mel slowly, without any sign of nervousness. "We welcome you to the Central Parliament to attend this closed-door meeting."

Very good, Hilco nodded, and slowly moved towards the center with a few trusted men.

"I think they are heading towards the tall building in the middle. Should we go too?" The Cataclysm helicopter had been hovering above the city. Wearing a helmet, Jinx easily watched the people's every move below through the observation system, her fingers gently rubbing the rocket's launch trigger.

"We'll go too." Enoch pulled the joystick lightly, and the plane tilted and flew towards the roof. "Also, be careful not to fire accidentally. We can't let people watch us kill these people."

By the time the congressmen arrived at the parliament, Enoch had been waiting at the door with Jinx for quite some time. Several of the congressmen's partners pretended not to know him and waited for him to introduce himself.

"Allow me to introduce you briefly." Hilco seemed to have forgotten that Enoch had some friends in the upper city, and took the initiative to introduce him to Mel and others: "This is my most trusted subordinate, Enoch from Losrian Industries. He designed these outstanding things."

Ignoring Hilco's words that were either a protest or a provocation, Mel stretched out his hand to shake hands with Enoch, and took the initiative to invite him to go to the meeting room together.

"They surrendered?" Gently controlling his pace, Enoch approached Hilco and asked in a low voice. Now these congressmen seemed to be very confident and did not seem to have no way out. Since when did businessmen become so principled?

"We are just about to discuss this matter." Hilco glanced at Jinx who was following Enoch and reminded him, "This conversation is very important. You have to be careful."

"I know, it's okay."

The meeting room was temporarily modified. All the Piltover councillors except Jayce were present, while Zaun only had Hilco, Finn and Enoch. To be honest, in terms of numbers, Zaun was the weaker party.

However, considering that some Piltover MPs had no intention of speaking and even had the delusion of wavering, this closed-door meeting seemed particularly ridiculous.

Gently placing a pair of glasses on Jinx's small nose, Enoch whispered to Jinx, "Please keep an eye on the situation outside. If there is any problem, please notify me at any time, okay?"

Jinx nodded confidently, lightly tapped the earphone on one ear, and stood in front of the conference room door with Sevika.

She even nodded to the older sister next to her, which was rare, which scared Sevika.

The magnificent gate was closed, the roof was sealed, and the battle that started and ended suddenly finally began the post-war wrangling stage.

Chapter 96: Negotiations that Started Well but Ended Well

"Piltover will not surrender, but out of responsibility for the lives of people on both sides, we can negotiate for peace."

Right after closing the meeting room, the group of congressmen in front of him gave Enoch the most direct shock, which made him realize what it meant to be tough on the surface and what it meant to care about face but not substance.

Before Zaun could even make any demands, the other side had already revealed its true colors.

Hilco pulled out a document that he had prepared long ago and passed it to the councillors without any dissatisfaction. "This is what Zaun requires. We need to be completely independent from Piltover. All factories opened before today belong to Zaun. Law enforcement officers are prohibited from entering the lower city to search. Piltover will open up the right to use the port near Zaun and the Hextech Flying Gate."

"That's impossible. You're asking me to sell Piltover to you. Don't even think about it."

After just a glance at the contents of the document, the councillors protested. If they really did this, it would not be a peace negotiation, but a blood transfusion to Zaun. You know, without the port advantage, Piltover would only have technological research and development left, but this is not an ordinary waste of money. In the end, Piltover will definitely not be able to make ends meet.

"Do you think you have the right to negotiate now? You guys lost. If you are not convinced, let's continue fighting."

Enoch looked at Finn, who was suddenly excited, and Hilco, who said nothing, and gradually understood why he was brought into the meeting.

It seems that as the boss it is not convenient for him to yell and blame the other side, so he specifically drags Finn as his vanguard.

Seeing Finn arguing with the councillors in a heated debate, with noisy revelations but no progress, Councillor Mel suddenly raised his hand: "Okay, gentlemen, let's do this quickly to avoid causing more losses to the people on both sides... I propose that all the factories in Zaun belong to Zaun, but Piltover should be allowed to invest in these factories. Piltover's port will not give Zaun any privileges. Similarly, Zaun can carry out normal commercial activities. I suggest that the Hextech Flying Gate be repaired and used by both cities together after reaching a consensus with Councillor Jayce."

"Piltover will make a one-time donation of materials and finances to Zaun's construction. At the same time, Zaun will control the production and sale of addictive drugs and suspend the development of weapons. Is that ok?"

Hilco sneered. "Stop weapons development? No problem, as long as you can promise to stop the development of Hextech."

"Zuan can talk with you only because of these things. If you are not satisfied, I can let the tanks make two more turns."

Seeing the serious expression on the other side, Hilco also made a number of seemingly big concessions: "Zuan can stop the production of Shimmer, no problem, but the law enforcers must not have the power to enforce the law in Zaun anymore, that's just the bottom line."

"How is that possible? What if that lunatic from the lower city attacks Piltover again? Are we just going to have to watch?"

"Regarding this," Enoch suddenly interrupted, "Losrien Company will be responsible for the security of the Twin Cities from today onwards, including but not limited to maintaining order, arresting criminals, protecting waterways, and combating smuggling."

He glanced at Heimerdinger and Giraman, who did not react. "I think I have proved that Lothrian has this ability. If possible, we will share information with the law enforcement officers in the upper city to maintain the stability of the Hexgate."

………………

The two sides argued with each other until late at night. Compared with the argument between Hilco and the councillors, Enoch's request was simple, to be responsible for the security of the two cities. To be honest, this was not a big deal for Piltover. The only standing defense Piltover had was the law enforcer, and it was a place where there was only input but no obvious output.

As for the national security of Piltover? Apart from the pirates who are good at taking advantage of the situation, which is a specialty of Bilgewater, others who want to get their hands on it must first pass through Noxus, or they can also start from Zaun, but who has the confidence to lead an army through the primeval forest near Ixokon?

Piltover's only means of external defense is as simple as its coastal defense artillery. In the past, when the caravan encountered pirates, they could only flee on their own or consider themselves unlucky. Now that someone has stepped forward to be responsible for safety, these congressmen are overjoyed.

Even if the Loslien Company really goes too far, encouraging the citizens of Piltover to take to the streets would solve most of the problems.

These congressmen pretended to object, but when they heard that Losrian would be responsible for paying the salaries and equipment of the law enforcement officers and would start selling weapons, they no longer had any reason to object.

It’s not that no congressman brought up the flooded prison bomber, but after Enoch broke the rules and called Jinx in to pour him a cup of tea and listened for a while, no one mentioned the matter anymore.

The congressmen who called for severe punishment of the criminals were clearly seen by Jinx. After staring at them for a long time, they still remembered that the girl had just come down from the "air tank". She was obviously the confidant of the arms dealer in front of them. Maybe this unrest was planned by the other party for a long time.

The first day's meeting finally ended before midnight. Enoch rubbed his eyes painfully. He felt a headache when he thought about having to attend several such meetings. It seemed that he had to find a way to get rid of these troubles as soon as possible, as he had a big project to deal with.

Too lazy to attend the temporarily arranged dinner, Enoch said goodbye to the old fox Hilco who was like a fish in water in advance, and dragged Jinx back to the helicopter on the grass nearby. He had to synchronize the data to the factory in time, speed up production, train pilots, and try to make a proper appearance by the Evolution Day so that he could serve as a guard of the waterway and provide reliable security.

"Boring, so boring," Jinx kept complaining while sitting in the cockpit, "I stood outside the door like an idiot for a long time. Next time, you should ask Vi, the big idiot, for help with this kind of thing. She's clumsy and looks perfect for just standing there and watching."

"Really? I'll take your advice. Judging from the current situation, it won't be long before your sister and her girlfriend have to ask us for their salary."

"Really? That's great. You have to ask me to join you for something fun like this. I'm really interested." Jinx laughed, imagining Vi begging her for the money in her hand. "By the way, why did you ask me to come in? Just to get a glass of water? I thought you were going to kill someone."

"You don't know anything?" Enoch wondered. Didn't the girl hear what the meeting was like before she came in?

Jinx looked innocent, leaning on the back of the chair in front of her, staring at Enoch pitifully. "What should I know?"

"Were you not paying attention to the meeting?"

"no, what happened?"

"It's okay," Enoch said helplessly, "I just want to show everyone how great you are."

"Ha, I love hearing that."

Chapter 97: The Gray Lady's Visit

The next few days of negotiations were like torture.

Piltover still maintains a curfew, but daytime production and life have returned to normal. The damaged Hextech Gate has also begun repair work with the tacit agreement of the two cities. Heimerdinger was too lazy to attend the meeting and came to help with the repairs. Enoch also occasionally brought Jinx to join in the fun near the gate, but he was not very welcome by Jayce.

The law enforcement officers are now idle, checking and sorting documents in the police station every day. The security of Piltover is now temporarily in the charge of Losrian, and infantry fighting vehicles can often be seen patrolling the streets during the day. If there is a big commotion, the KV-2 will slowly swing over, turn the threatening gun barrel, and soon no one will cause trouble.

The location of the meeting and negotiation was also changed to the Babette Theater in Zaun. Apart from Hilco who was easily arguing with the councilors from the upper city, the other alchemy barons appeared like a revolving lantern, and most of them followed Hilco around and became familiar with him.

Although Enoch ran away from the meeting the next day, he received many invitations privately. The three old friends in the parliament still had a tacit understanding and wanted to expand the scale of cooperation. Other parliamentarians also extended olive branches. Enoch was surprised to find that except Heimerdinger and Jayce, other parliamentarians seemed to welcome him very much.

I sighed and realized that I still need to practice more. After all, I am not a member of parliament, and I cannot be so fluent and speak one thing in front of others and another behind their backs.

After taking a look at the surrounding sea, Enoch turned around and picked up Jinx who was enjoying the sun on the deck.

"It's time to rest now." He sniffed the girl's flat belly, causing her to giggle. "Let's go downstairs and relax?"

"It's all right here, Little Finger. You can also get some sun. But wait a minute, I'll go get a bottle of juice. I heard about some new tricks. You'll like them."

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

Enoch looked at the flashing red dot on the console in confusion. He didn't remember what guests he had invited during this period.

After hesitating for a moment, looking at the girl sleeping on top of him, Enoch decided to deal with it remotely first.

Shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness, Enoch looked around and found nothing wrong in the Zaun factory office. Could it be that the sensors deployed nearby were broken?

"You are very alert." A proud female voice came from outside the door; "Accept this comment with gratitude. I don't often praise others."

The metal struck the ground with a crisp sound, and a blue light emanated from it. This was the unique color of Hextech technology. Enoch was very sure of this. Recently, he had been studying several gems in his hands, so he was very sensitive to his unique color.

This is an elegant lady, with neatly combed hair piled high, looking exceptionally capable. At first glance, one can get the impression of a 'cold decision maker'.

However, even her delicate face was not as eye-catching as her legs. They were the result of surgical reconstruction. Her calves had been transformed into frightening sharp blades, but there was no sign of instability in the woman's figure.

This is a woman who makes it easy to associate the danger of weapons with others.

"I don't remember receiving any visitor information, so...why don't you tell me why you're here?"

"Good afternoon, Mr. Enoch, I bring greetings from Philos."

Seeing the woman in front of him proudly raising her head, Enoch felt a little helpless. "Hello, please allow me to pay my respects to Philos, but this doesn't sound like an answer to my question. What are you doing here?"

"Don't be stupid." The woman sat elegantly on the sofa at one side, looking at Enoch's collection with satisfaction, but snorted at the graffiti cup on Enoch's table. "I came here because I thought of your loyalty. Philos likes to cooperate with smart people. I am here to invite you as a representative. You can call me Gray Lady."

Looking at the elegant woman in front of him, Enoch stood up expressionlessly, made her a pot of hot tea, and gently placed it on the low table in front of her. Through the smoke from the cup, Enoch quietly looked at the highly modified human body.

"Good day, Gray Lady. I think I've heard your story. Legend has it that there's a law enforcer in the shadows of Piltover. She'll invite you for a cup of tea. It's best not to refuse, or she'll kick your throat... Now it seems they made a mistake in wording. It should have been cut."

But legends are just legends, which doesn't mean you can suddenly visit, disturb my rest, and step on my carpet... This is a handmade product of the river people. It took me a long time to find it. Since I didn't drive you out but prepared hot tea for you, let me hear what you have to say. "

"Disrespectful words don't make you more terrifying. I've seen people more dangerous than you. I think your threat is not as strong as this cup of hot tea." Camille picked up the cup and took a sip elegantly. "You planned the whole farce, your men set off the explosion in the prison, and then you think you can take advantage of it?"

"In view of your intelligence, I magnanimously forgive your disruptive behavior. Philos has also extended an olive branch to you. As a reminder, I suggest you accept this kindness immediately. I still have to deal with the current chaos later."