Cyberzaun, Machinarium

Looking at the two people kneeling on the ground with tears on their faces, Enoch thought for a while, wondering whether the two people were scared or were smoked by the smoke, "Tell me about your boss."

"We don't know anything. The group leader talks about it. We never ask questions. This is the rule."

"What about him?" Enoch looked at the silent man behind him, hiding in a thick cloak, without any reaction.

"That guy is a magician," Jinx dusted herself off and adjusted her belt. "The shield you made was too low-quality. It exploded when it came into contact with magic and sent me flying far away. If I had known, I wouldn't have brought it with me. I'm sure I could have avoided it myself."

"I'll make some adjustments... Are you seriously injured?" Enoch looked at Jinx. Apart from being a little embarrassed, the girl seemed to be in good spirits.

"Ha, who do you think I am? I beat the shit out of these guys." Jinx proudly hugged her shoulders, gently bumped into Enoch, and slowly walked towards Seraphine's position. "I'm going to find my little friend."

"So, Mr. Magician, I guess someone with special talents like you must know something, right? Give me a name." Turning back, Enoch pulled down the hood of his cloak and looked at the black-haired man in front of him. He didn't look like a magician at all, but rather a strong warrior.

The man didn't say a word, just closed his eyes and waited for his result.

"Yeah, that's right, this guy looks like a tough guy, much more professional than that noisy idiot." Enoch nodded in understanding, shot the man who obviously couldn't say anything in the head, and turned back to the two Shuriman swordsmen lying on the ground.

"It looks like it's just the two of you, so where is your leader?"

"The captain is dead. I'm not lying to you. He was beaten to death by that dwarf just now."

It took Enoch a moment to realize they were talking about Jinx. He couldn't help but snort and chuckle, then quickly returned to his serious state, "The leader is dead...you're still fighting so hard?"

The two swordsmen competed to answer Enoch's question. "As long as we get the dwarf's head, we can get the money from the middleman... Of course, we failed, so we will definitely not see him."

"Wait a minute," Enoch felt something was not right, "Are you targeting the one with pink hair, or the one with blue hair who just walked past me?"

"The short guy who walked by you, we can't remember wrongly, the hair in the photo was originally blue"

"Interesting... Thank you for your cooperation," Enoch patted the two men on the shoulders, "But you see, I'm really worried that you might show up someday and hurt that poor little girl."

The Shurima swordsmen looked at each other and said, "Impossible, we will leave for Zaun today and never come back."

"Well, thank you, this is what I really mean, but my companions just killed so many of your gangs..."

"They deserved it, they are all bedbugs, garbage, the most disgusting sandworms, I don't even know them"

"I feel much more relieved when you say that." Enoch stood up and shot each of the two men in the head. "In this case, I don't have to bear the psychological pressure of killing a good man."

Chapter 129: Zuan’s Conscience

"You think this is all funny? You'll kill them all, whether they're good or bad."

Enoch turned around and looked at Ike and his accomplices who were controlled aside. "No, why do I find this interesting? This is not a personal grudge. These people were hired to cause trouble at this critical moment. I just cleaned them up according to the normal process. But I have to say that getting rid of a villain will give people a sense of accomplishment, at least it is more comfortable than killing a good person. Besides, these people are not even from Zaun, why do you care so much?"

Enoch looked at the group of people in front of him, pulled out a pair of handcuffs from the security guard beside him, and threw them to Ike. "Don't stand here like an idiot. I have to thank you for disrupting this assassination, but the second half of the action is a discordant signal to me, so you have to come with me."

Looking at Ike who was holding the handcuffs with a look of refusal, Little Finger easily added a heavy weight to him. "Think about your companions. I think you'd better listen to me for the time being... By the way, this is a threat."

"You think I'm going to listen to you? After I just watched you take out two guys? You're crazy but I'm not."

"If you come with me honestly, I will release your companions now and will not kill them this time. What do you think? Deal?"

Ike stared at Enoch for a while, and finally gave up and put the handcuffs on his hands. "I did my thing."

"Thank you for your cooperation." Enoch nodded and waved behind him. The Wildfire Gang members who were pinned to the ground by the Terrorist Squad were pushed hard and staggered, falling near Ike's companions.

"He fell down by himself." Nodding at the unfortunate guy lying on the ground, Enoch waved to Ike. "It's none of my business. So, come with me now and take a look at my new office area."

………………

"Coffee? Or tea?"

"Tea is ready, thank you." Seraphine sat obediently on the sofa, looking at the strange scene in front of her. She felt as if she was involved in some big event.

"I want tea too, with more sugar and milk." Jinx returned to her original attire, sat on the sofa in familiarity, and habitually put her feet on the table.

"This is yours." Enoch didn't even need to guess, he directly brought out the milk tea that suited Jinx's taste, and whispered in the girl's ear, "We have guests here, please be polite."

Seeing Jinx reluctantly taking her feet off, Enoch nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Ike who was sitting the farthest away and said, "You like that? Considering what we are going to discuss later, we will not provide any drinks for the time being."

"In case you take the opportunity to poison me, no, thank you." Ike frowned, looking at the rows of artillery and the continuous transportation of ammunition outside the window. He was in no mood at all.

"Well, that's good." Enoch shrugged. "At least they have some manners. It's a good start. Finally, there are no ignorant savages breaking into this house."

"Let's start the party. First of all, welcome Miss Seraphine. I'm sorry to have frightened you, but please understand that the times are turbulent and such things often happen." Enoch raised the teacup in his hand and gestured to the surroundings.

"I just wanted to help, maybe I'm causing trouble." Seraphine was a little uneasy. No matter how she imagined it, she never realized that one day she would visit the base of an arms dealer.

Enoch smiled and winked at Jinx. The girl nodded in understanding, drank the milk tea in her cup in one gulp, pulled Seraphine and ran out. "It's too boring. Come over here with me and play for a while. Hurry up and follow me."

"What...oh, wait, slow down." Seraphine was dragged out of the meeting room. Now, only Enoch and Ike in handcuffs were left.

Flicking the switch, the shield was activated again, and Enoch slid the key across the table towards Ike. "Please help yourself. You can try to make yourself more comfortable."

Ike looked at the key on the table, and the barely perceptible protective shield that appeared on Enoch's body. Only the occasional distortion of light could reveal that thin layer.

Pulling the corner of his mouth, Ike smiled disdainfully, "Are you so cowardly? You rely on your cover everywhere? Do you even sleep with your eyes open? Tell me, do you know how many people you oppress want to kill you?"

"At least I'm sitting here talking to you in person, not a stand-in. I think from this point of view, I'm showing my trust in you... By the way, you don't need to worry about my sleep quality. Jinx has never made a mistake in alertness. With her by my side, I never have to worry about this problem."

Enoch felt that he might not be able to communicate well with this kid now. According to the information he had collected, this kid had been active in Midtown over the years, interfering with the smuggling of Shimmer and the problem of gun proliferation, and trying to help those in Zaun who were bullied but could not fight back.

He has been protecting Zaun in his own way over the years, but he is naturally distrustful of the Chem-Baron. This is inevitable. After all, according to past experience, part of the exploitation of Zaun was inflicted by the Baron in order to expand his territory. The remaining largest mines were basically pits dug by the big families of Piltover. After the One-Day War, these things were about to no longer endanger Zaun, but the Chem-Baron took over again, and after a brief rest, they were up and running again.

Maybe I should change my approach?

Rubbing his aching head, Enoch considered whether to drag Wei over. With her watching, the gang leader in front of him should be able to listen to his plan carefully.

"Listener. I don't care if you have any personal grudges or any other reasons. Now, listen to me carefully." Seeing Ike's sullen face but still quiet, Enoch finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I don't know what you and your companions are planning, but I remind you that the two cities you are in are powder kegs. Don't be a spark. There are other places that need you more."

"I know Jinx was unhappy with you guys before, but I need you to put aside your opinion of me for the time being and leave some people to pay attention to the upper city. If... listen carefully, if a big firework explodes in the upper city one day, I hope you can maintain order in the dance corridor and the middle square. As for the mine in the sinkhole, no matter how big the noise is, as long as no one rushes to the middle square to cause trouble, you should stay out of it for the time being."

Ike no longer looked as nonchalant as he did when he first arrived. He leaned forward on the handrail and looked at Enoch dangerously. "What are you planning?"

"An opportunity." Enoch did not want to reveal more plans. "An opportunity that may allow Zaun to live a good life. Remember to maintain order. Don't provoke trouble, don't take the initiative to attack, don't chase, and don't wear a mask. I think this is not difficult for you. If you need anything, you can bring people directly from my warehouse."

"What about the Alchemist Baron's men? What about your men?" Ike was becoming more and more confused about this speculative arms dealer.

"Anyone, I remind you, I will deal with them all if they cause trouble, even my men. But remember, after you restore order and gain the trust and support of the people of Zaun, you must never lead anyone across the bridge, and you must never enter Piltover."

Chapter 130 Useless Party

Ike moved his wrist gently. "It sounds like a lot of people are going to die just for your ambition? What exactly do you want to do? Why do you think I will listen to you?"

"I want a lot, so I have to make sure my home is safe and there are no whimsical guys holding me back." Enoch paused. "Someone recommended you to me. She said I was just a greedy businessman, and you are the one who can really make Zaun a better place. She said she saw it with her own eyes."

Ike pondered for a moment and asked uncertainly, "Are you referring to Wei?"

"You have too many questions." Enoch stood up, opened the door, and gestured to Ike. "Since you don't like my tea, I won't keep you as a guest any longer. You and I are both walking on our own paths of conviction. I'm just giving you some advice. I sincerely hope that you can listen to it and try not to fall into the trap."

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

The storm soon calmed down. After all, a corpse with a exploded head was more convincing than anything else. Apart from giving people around something to brag about when drinking, everything returned to normal. Only Jinx's notoriety might have been damaged in this incident, which could barely be considered collateral damage.

After being taken around Zaun's middle square twice, Seraphine returned to Piltover before sunset. Apart from the disturbance during the commotion, the singer did not seem to be disturbed by anything else. Instead, after seeing the 'real' appearance of Zaun, she seemed to have become more determined.

These had nothing to do with Enoch for the time being. He was busy upgrading the girl's shield. The energy impact of autonomous protection and magic during the encounter was very interesting to him. If it weren't for the troublesome consolation performance the next day, Enoch would definitely find some time to study it carefully.

Jinx was also adjusting her weapon. Ever since she heard that Littlefinger was going to take her alone tomorrow, the girl has had a serious expression on her face. No one can tell the specific situation tomorrow, but she is Littlefinger's backup, so she must do her best.

The night passed quickly, and the stage for Piltover's consolation performance began early. A few hours before the afternoon performance, the crowd spontaneously gathered in the square.

Because this charity performance was to commemorate the deaths of those who died in the conflict between the two cities, Piltover rarely concealed its hostility during this period. They all pretended to be tolerant and generous, and disdainfully stated that they would not argue with the rude and barbaric Zaun people.

Even though many people wanted to hack each other to death, under the control of a large number of police officers, people on both sides remained calm and restrained, which was rare.

In the VIP room of the conference venue, Enoch saw his congressmen friends whom he had not seen for a long time.

Everyone was surrounded by a few trusted aides, who stood between themselves and others. Many people did not attend, such as Councillor Bolpok and Councillor Surrey from Piltover, and Finn and Renee from Zaun.

What surprised Enoch was that Escaglio, who was always cautious, came with a lot of bodyguards and hid far away in the corner of the room.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen," Heimerdinger said, standing in front of the French window. He lowered the privacy curtains as he spoke. "We gather here to show the people of the two cities that they trust each other. We should stand together and negotiate instead of hiding behind our bodyguards. No one here wants your lives."

The Yodel looked at everyone with dissatisfaction, his beard twitching with anger. "Maybe we have been against each other for too long? So now we are afraid of each other just by looking at each other, right? As a congressman, you don't know how to set an example. I really don't know how you can lead the people!!"

This was a bit too much. They were standing in a large square on the main road of Piltover. If something happened, it would be difficult to run away. Even someone as calm as Hilko had four bodyguards with him, including Sevika. Theoretically speaking, apart from Enoch who brought his female companion, Heimerdinger was the only one who was alone.

The Poro he brought with him could only be considered a pet. As for Jace? He himself was also part of Councillor Mel's protection.

No one cared about his accusations, and most people were still watching silently. Enoch wanted to say hello to his old friend, but looking at the bodyguards standing around him, he gave up the idea of a private meeting. After all, if two people knew about it, it was a conspiracy, but if three people knew about it, it could only be called news.

The senators and alchemy barons were slowly killing time, waiting for the upcoming charity performance below. Perhaps because they were afraid of irritating each other, they even skipped the blessing part of the performance this time. After the lights went out and then back on, Seraphine appeared in the center of the stage and began her singing.

"Is she the only one performing tonight?" Enoch listened to the singing and felt the emotions echoing in his heart. This kind of peaceful and tranquil experience rarely appeared in Enoch's feelings.

"Originally, many people wanted to perform, but they gave up at the last minute. She was the only one who insisted." Heimerdinger stood next to Enoch, looking down through the huge French window. "With the current conflict between the two cities, not everyone has the courage to stand on this stage."

Looking at the crowd of people under the stage who were hostile to each other, as the singing began, the boundaries gradually became clearer. They were no longer as vigilant and stern as in the beginning, but swayed slowly to the music. If they occasionally made contact, they would not push each other away, but nod and greet each other tacitly.

Enoch sighed a little, "Her ability is really amazing... This is probably the most harmonious interaction between Piltover and Zaun in these years."

"What's commendable is that she stood up purely out of the ideal of making the two cities coexist peacefully. She wanted to use her emotions to impress others and never thought of abusing her abilities." Heimerdinger exclaimed and looked at Enoch beside him. The alchemist baron in front of him was one of the few people in the living room who paid attention to music. "Compared to our endless wrangling, what do you think of this?"

"An idealist" Enoch left the window and turned to look at the people talking to each other in the living room, "but it seems that there is no way to solve the problem."

"Of course we have to solve the problem. That's why there are parliamentary elections. We should put aside our prejudices at this time," Heimerdinger said seriously. "I watched Piltover being built. These two cities should not have ended up like this."

"I agree," Enoch mused, "we should all do our part."

"That's right, you look much more pleasing to the eye than the others." The Yodel smiled and left the window. He was going to talk to other leaders in Zaun.

Looking at Heimerdinger's receding figure, Enoch was silent for a long time before muttering, "I also want to make the two cities better, but in my own way."

Chapter 131: Reversal

The concert ended successfully

In fact, this concert was perfect. At least during this period of time, the audience, whether from Zaun or Piltover, rarely felt alienated. Their teams were no longer clearly divided. The magic contained in the singing soothed people's pain and hostility. In a limited time, the two cities seemed to have eliminated their prejudices and just sang happily together. The law enforcement officers in charge of vigilance were also happy with the crowd.

Even the congressmen who were not paying attention here were the same. At first, they were still wary of each other and hid behind their bodyguards, refusing to show their bodies. But later, these people could not help but be infected. Even someone as cold as Hilco talked with the congressmen in a happy manner, and from time to time they would burst into laughter because of funny little jokes.

To be honest, the scene was extremely strange, but no one felt anything was wrong. It was as if they were good friends who hadn't seen each other for years and were revisiting their old topics after overcoming the awkwardness of the reunion.

If Jinx hadn't been prepared and pulled him back, Enoch would probably be happily reminiscing about the past with his Piltover senator friend.

"Music... What a beautiful thing." Heimerdinger clapped his hands softly, praising the harmonious scene before him. "I have a suggestion. Let's put aside our differences and sort out the mistakes we made during this period. There is no need for us to create more bloodshed."

"agree"

“It couldn’t be better”

"I have no opinion"

Everyone echoed and raised their glasses to celebrate the smooth progress of the event. Unlike the audience who were reluctant to leave, the congressman and the alchemist baron walked towards the banquet hall chatting and laughing. They all agreed that they could simply sit down and chat after the buffet.

Perhaps it was because the attitude changed too quickly, or perhaps it was because the atmosphere was too good. When several organizers from the Twin Cities who did not attend the afternoon charity performance arrived, they were shocked by the harmonious scene before them. They could hardly believe that this group of people had been constantly tripping each other up until yesterday.

"Come on Finn, find a seat, my loyal subordinate." Hilco waved his hand and welcomed the flattered baron to his seat.

"Let's be honest with each other - does anyone want to say anything about the attack a week ago?" The councillors looked at each other, and finally the youngest, Jace, asked the most embarrassing question.

"It wasn't the instructions from our side... In fact, those who escaped were eventually found dead in the Chengou Mine Area. No one knows when they died." Hilco lit a cigar and rarely did he beat around the bush.

"It wasn't done by our people, so... this is a civil dispute. How about showing the body so that the people on both sides can feel at ease?"

"make a deal"

The rare mood did not last long. The closed door of the conference room suddenly opened, and the people who rushed in immediately destroyed the tacit understanding between the two sides.

"Please allow me to object, because two innocent Noxian diplomats died because of the conflict between your two sides, and I will file a serious complaint."

A woman in a gorgeous long dress broke in, surrounded by a line of guards. The bodyguards who were originally responsible for maintaining the venue were kept far away.

"Cassiopeia? Why? This is an internal meeting of Piltover and Zaun. We will discuss your question after the meeting." Mel looked at the aggressive person coming and immediately stood up, trying to prevent the situation that had finally improved from sliding into the worst direction.

"Don't worry, little girl. As long as we all cooperate, there won't be any big problems." The woman chuckled and pushed Mel back into the tall seat.

"It's a pity that in order to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the Noxian people, the Noxian diplomat investigated some situations in Piltover and Zaun. The results were shocking. Just when he was about to appeal to the parliament, you cruelly designed to cover up the murder with an accident."

Cassiopeia gracefully turned around from behind her seat and looked at the ugly faces of many congressmen with satisfaction, as if she was staring at a fat prey.

"I have a lot of accusations here. Do you want to hear them?" Patting the thick stack of documents in her hands, the Noxian lady smiled triumphantly. She ignored the objections from those present and opened the documents by herself, pretending to look at the contents curiously as if she was seeing them for the first time.

"Let me see. Illegal human experiments, smuggling of transformation drugs that are extremely harmful to the human body... 'Glimmer', a nice name, but terrible effects. If I remember correctly, this is in serious conflict with the drug regulations you have formulated... Baron Hilco, I think you have instructed your men to produce illegal drugs that seriously endanger the safety of Noxian soldiers." The woman chuckled, threw a few pages of documents in her hand on the table, and ignored the inexplicable eyes of the congressman, and continued to pick up the next file.