Heading to Zaun

"How's it going? Are you ready?"

"Ah, almost!"

Ling Ying's voice came from outside, jolting Orianna out of her daze. She hurried to add a final sentence to the letter on her desk.

"Father, I understand your concern for me, but please forgive your daughter for this act of defiance. I promise I'll come home safely. Your loving daughter, Orianna."

After writing those words, Orianna slipped the letter into a pristine white envelope and stamped it with a bright red postmark. Then she rose from her chair, clutching the letter in one hand and a bulging backpack in the other, and hurried toward the door.

Ling Ying was already waiting there. Like Orianna, she carried a large backpack. Today, she wore a thick, all-black sweatshirt and a dark gray leather jacket. Black-and-brown python-print leggings and matching hiking boots suited for all kinds of terrain completed the outfit. Compared to her usual skirts, this look was less alluring and more dashing.

"Miss Orianna, you're really scrambling at the last minute."

Ling Ying came over and took the heavy backpack from Orianna. She couldn't resist teasing her, too.

"Cecilia, I thought I should send my father a letter after all... So I might need a little more time."

"Ah, about that..."

Ling Ying gave her a mysterious look, then snapped her fingers. A suave young man immediately emerged from the side and came to a stop before them. Orianna took a closer look and realized it was Anderson Oliver.

"You heard everything just now. I shouldn't have to spell out what to do, right?"

"Yes, Boss! Consider it done!"

Oliver nodded solemnly, took the letter, and quickly disappeared from sight.

"All right, now we can go. The carriage is waiting outside."

Ling Ying smiled at Orianna, who was still looking surprised.

"I still can't believe it..."

Orianna stepped down from the carriage and glanced at the Anderson Family crest on its side. Surprise and curiosity were written all over her face.

"That arrogant Oliver, being bossed around by you like he's your underling, Cecilia."

"Ah, well, I did save his life. He's not completely beyond hope, and it's only natural that he knows how to repay a favor."

Ling Ying waved a hand casually.

"Still, I have to say..."

"Still, what surprises me more is that we have a secret agent among us. Junior... No, Miss Cecilia."

"Ah, you can still call me junior. I actually quite like it. It makes me seem younger."

Ling Ying turned around and looked up at Viktor at a forty-five-degree angle.

"By the way, Senior, is it really all right to bring that thing out like this?"

"There's no problem with it."

As he spoke, Viktor moved his steel body—a towering suit of Power Armor with a matte dark gray finish. At Ling Ying's insistence, three gears surrounding a sword had been painted on its thick, streamlined chest plate. It instantly lent the steel giant an air of mysterious authority.

"I finished the basic tests in a hurry over the past few days. Zaun's environment is complicated, so it's the perfect place to conduct field tests on the T-60. There are some measurements you can't get in a lab. Besides, it'll help us handle emergencies and intimidate any troublemakers with bad intentions. Zaun has never been short of those."

"Senior Viktor, you've really thought of everything. And with the T-60, we should be able to do more to help the people of Zaun."

A warm smile bloomed on Orianna's face.

"So... shall we get going?"

"Wait a little longer. No rush."

Ling Ying glanced at her watch. It was still five minutes until eight. She stretched leisurely, showing no sign of wanting to leave. Viktor and Orianna had no idea what Ling Ying had in mind, so they waited with her. Just as the clock struck eight, a familiar figure emerged slowly from the morning light and stopped before them. It was Jayce, whom they hadn't seen in days. He was dressed for travel and clearly preparing to leave.

"This..."

Orianna and Viktor were both taken aback. Their gazes wandered before finally settling on Ling Ying. By coincidence, Jayce's eyes swept over them too, then turned to Ling Ying.

"I'm going with you, at the invitation of my junior, Cecilia."

Ling Ying waited for Jayce to finish, then clapped her hands with a smile.

"Great, everyone's here. Let's go."

As she spoke, Ling Ying headed toward the Hextech Pressure Elevator waiting on the tracks.

The Hextech Pressure Elevator descended at a steady pace. The splendid buildings and spacious streets soon gave way to rough copper-and-iron structures and cramped, disorderly alleys. Compared to Piltover's brightness and splendor, all of Zaun seemed dim and lifeless. Much of that was due to the thick, sickly green pollution cloud gathered over the city's ceiling. Only on a few days each year could Zaun enjoy sunlight filtering into the fissure from Piltover above. After watching Piltover for a while, Ling Ying turned her gaze back to the three people inside the cabin. As the Gas Leak Incident worsened, hardly any Piltoverians had been traveling to Zaun lately. The elevator held only Ling Ying's group of four, and the atmosphere felt rather heavy.

"Senior Jayce... I—"

"Junior Orianna, there's no need to apologize or explain."

Jayce shook his head, cutting Orianna off.

"Whether it's what you said or what I believe, it's all subjective. I'm joining you this time so I can see for myself what Zaun is really like."

"But..."

Orianna clearly still had more to say, but the elevator car gave a slight shudder. The indicator light above flashed green.

The doors slowly slid open to either side.

"High Tower Station. We've arrived."

As the arrival announcement sounded, a pungent smell hit them at once. Ling Ying tightened her Half-Covered Respirator. Before she could take more than a few steps out of the station, several thugs equipped with Alchemical Prosthetics surrounded them.

"Stop! What are you doing here?"

A towering thug in a Black Trench Coat stepped in front of Ling Ying. His shiny bald head was topped by a pair of mechanical eyes glowing crimson.

"We're volunteers from Piltover. We're here to help Zaun deal with the Gas Leak Incident."

Ling Ying answered calmly, gesturing toward the Armband on her right arm. The Piltover Security Department had issued it to them before they came down. They said it could monitor the wearer's vital signs. But Ling Ying suspected Piltover wouldn't send anyone to help even if the wearer really got into trouble. The armband was more useful as identification to show the people of Zaun. After all, relations between Zaun and Piltover were hardly friendly. At least wearing it made it less likely they'd end up dead in a sewer.

"Tch. Piltover scum."

The Eyeball Thug sneered, then looked Ling Ying up and down with his mechanical eye. A lewd smile suddenly spread across his scarred face.

"So, what's a woman like you supposed to do helping out? Why not help us brothers instead and give us a good time?"

His words provoked a burst of crude laughter from the men behind him. Ling Ying knitted her brows and was about to speak when a mechanical voice sounded behind her.

"That's no way to act. Zaunite hospitality shouldn't be used to harass women."

"Hey! Mind your own damn business! Who the hell are—"

The Eyeball Thug looked past Ling Ying toward the speaker, but all he could see was a chest plate made of alloy. Confused, he raised his head—and saw a stern steel head, its two eyes glowing purple. (They were actually headlights.)

"Holy—"

He didn't finish. His legs went weak and he nearly dropped to his knees, but Viktor caught him with a mechanical arm before he could make such a grand bow.

"That's a little too much hospitality. We're all brothers here, so there's no need for such a formal greeting. Just point us toward the affected area and we'll be grateful."

The thug looked at Viktor's helmet, then at the mechanical fist larger than his own head. He nodded dumbly. Then, as if remembering something, he shakily pointed in one direction.

"The Gas Contamination Zone... Yesterday, it was several kilometers that way, farther down. There's a temporary camp for Piltover folks along the way... You'll see it after a few hundred meters."

"Thank you."

Viktor nodded and released him. The thug's legs trembled, and he toppled face-first onto the ground.

"Let's go."

Following the direction the thug had pointed, Ling Ying soon found the camp he'd mentioned. Calling it a camp was a bit of a stretch: it was just a few temporary buildings where Piltover volunteers could rest while in Zaun. But so few Piltoverians were willing to help Zaun that the camp was tiny by necessity. When the four of them arrived, the three temporary buildings were only about half full. Still, the camp's leader, a kind-faced middle-aged man named Connor, welcomed them warmly. He introduced himself as a doctor with some renown in Piltover. Out of sympathy for the people of Zaun, he'd brought a few apprentices and volunteers to help.

"The situation is very serious."

Connor pointed to a map of Zaun marked with conspicuous patches of color.

"Despite the increased Decontamination Work, we haven't managed to stop the gas from spreading. We think the storage tanks at the factories where the initial explosions occurred may not even have been emptied completely. And Zaun's enclosed, sheer-sided terrain makes it hard for the gas to dissipate naturally. Dozens of districts have already become Gas Infestation Zones. What's more... the mixture of different gases seems to have caused an unexpected chemical reaction, making the symptoms among those exposed terrifyingly contagious. We still haven't come up with a countermeasure."

Doctor Connor's words weighed down the atmosphere in the small living room. Even amateurs like Ling Ying could tell how grave the situation was. As silence began to spread, a sudden commotion outside drew everyone's attention.

"Link?! What happened?"

No sooner had Doctor Connor spoken than a young man in a White Hazmat Suit, with a mess of gray hair, pushed open the door. He was badly out of breath.

"Doctor Connor... There's... a little girl outside. She insists we send people to rescue the survivors on her street. But there's no one to spare at our camp. I told her to find other Zaunites, but she just planted herself there. What should we do?"

"Let her in."

"Huh? But..."

"Let her in."

Doctor Connor stared at the young man with a serious expression.

"We can't let a child lose hope so easily."

"R-right. I'll go get her..."

The young man named Link turned and went outside. Before long, a disheveled little girl rushed in. Her old clothes were greasy, and it was hard to tell how long she'd been wearing them. Her long black hair had matted together, perhaps from not being washed in ages. The only clean things about her were her eyes, which still held a clear, bright light. She surveyed everyone with those eyes, then suddenly dropped to her knees.

"Please, kind sirs and ladies from Piltover, you have to save us..."

"Easy, child. Take your time."

Doctor Connor swiftly pulled the girl to her feet. Without the slightest hint of disgust, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the grime from her face.

"What do you need our help with?"

"My sister, and my other friends."

The girl choked up, then continued.

"Our district is surrounded by poison gas! Everyone's been trapped for days. I barely managed to get out and ask for help, but nobody would help us. I heard there were people from Piltover nearby, so I came here. You can help us, right? Mom said Piltover had amazing technology and could definitely help us..."

"I..."

Doctor Connor's expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly composed himself. He led the girl over to the map.

"Can you show us where your friends are trapped?"

"Um... here..."

The girl squinted, struggling to make out the map, then jabbed a finger at an area where several colored sections overlapped.

The living room fell so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop. Doctor Connor's face shifted through as many shades as the map. Clearly, he didn't know what to say. Ling Ying calmly glanced at the spot the girl had indicated and spoke slowly.

"The Multi-Gas Infestation Zone? Could there really be any survivors there?"

"That's not necessarily true."

Before Doctor Connor could answer, Viktor spoke up thoughtfully.

"Zaun's terrain is complicated. Some districts are naturally more enclosed than others. If I remember correctly, there's a mist condenser funded by Piltover here on the map. Its powerful opposing air currents may have formed an airflow barrier that cut off the district..."

"That's right! The gas can't get in!"

The girl quickly nodded when someone finally responded.

"But everyone's almost out of food. If nobody comes for us, we'll be trapped there until we starve. I had to crawl through the sewers to get out, but they're too narrow for anyone but me to squeeze through. The others couldn't come with me, so I had to find someone to rescue them."

"But, child..."

Doctor Connor shook his head, his expression darkening.

"Have you considered that the gas may indeed be unable to get in, but humans can't cross the contaminated area around it either? That place might be an island surrounded by death, just as you said. We may not be able to help..."

"How can that be..."

The girl was dumbstruck for a long moment, then pleaded anxiously.

"Don't you have amazing technology? Mom said Piltover's Hextech could do anything. She was always hoping she could work hard enough to move me and my sister to Piltover..."

"Well..."

Doctor Connor crouched down, forcing a smile.

"But Hextech was created by people, and that means, just like people, it has limits. So..."

"So you've found the right people. We'll get your friends and neighbors out."

"?"

Ling Ying's sudden declaration drew surprised looks from everyone. Doctor Connor took a deep breath before speaking.

"Miss Cecilia, you've only just arrived, so you may not understand the situation. Contaminated zones are extremely dangerous. The mixture of gases could even make protective equipment useless..."

"Ah, our existing equipment might not be enough, but we have magic that can handle the situation as it stands."

Ling Ying looked around at everyone and gave them a brilliant smile.

"We can't let a child lose hope, after all."

"We've definitely entered the contaminated zone."

Viktor looked at the beeping monitor, then at the strange black mist swirling around them.

"But Junior Cecilia's method is truly... remarkable. I don't know how it works, but... this black mist is keeping all the poisonous gas outside. The air in here is so clean, it's like we're in another world."

"Of course. I wouldn't do anything I wasn't sure I could handle."

Ling Ying wore a smug, beaming expression. She'd only recently learned how to manipulate black mist on a small scale. She hadn't expected it to come in handy today.

"By the way, Junior, what exactly is this strange ability of yours?"

Jayce asked curiously, but Ling Ying only winked at him mysteriously.

"It's a girl's little secret. Senior, you're not allowed to ask."

"Uh..."

"Can I ask? Cecilia and I are both girls, so it's only fair that we share our secrets, right?"

"Ah, if Orianna wants to know..."

Ling Ying turned around and struck a fierce pose for Orianna, who had transformed into Curious Girl Number Two.

"Then it's a top-secret matter for the Enforcement Department. If you go asking around, you might find yourself going in for coffee tomorrow."

"Huh? Is it that serious?"

"Of course. So don't ask, don't pry. Got it? Let's keep moving."

"We're... here."

After Ling Ying and the others had been making their way through the contaminated area for nearly half a day, the little girl sitting on Viktor's armored shoulder peered through the thinning black mist. She tried to recognize the surroundings, then spoke to the group with some timidity.

"Is this where you live?"

Ling Ying surveyed the narrow streets, lined with ramshackle shelters cobbled together from all sorts of junk. They looked more dilapidated than any slum on Earth. But for the people of Lower Zaun, staying alive was hard enough. How could they be expected to care about appearances?

"The gas concentration is negligible. It looks like the airflow barrier has kept the gas out, just as she said."

Viktor nodded to Ling Ying. The black mist that had enveloped them all the way there gradually dispersed, then drifted back into Ling Ying. She let out a soft breath and looked at the others, who were staring at her with odd expressions.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Uh... nothing. You just looked a lot like a villain just now, Cecilia..."

"..."

Ling Ying shook her head helplessly, about to defend herself, when the little girl suddenly jumped down from Viktor's shoulder and ran toward one of the shacks.

"Uncle Thomas? It's Little Bertha! I brought help..."

The girl named Bertha had just raised her hand to knock when the rough sheet-metal door opened by itself. It had only been left slightly ajar, and there was no one inside.

Little Bertha gave a surprised "Huh?" After calling out a few more times without getting an answer, she led Ling Ying and the others toward the middle of the street. According to her, the man named Tomus had probably gone to check on the other houses, since he was the most helpful person in the neighborhood.

"Let's go find Big Sister Belle first. She's sure to be there."

As she walked ahead, Little Bertha filled everyone in. But unlike her, Ling Ying grew more and more grim the farther they went. A faint stench of decay kept assaulting her keen sense of smell. She looked toward a house on the street corner, and, as it happened, Little Bertha stopped in front of it too.

"This is Big Sister Belle's house. We..."

Before Little Bertha could finish, Ling Ying suddenly stepped forward and shielded her. Doran's Blade appeared in her hand in an instant. A flash of Cold Light flared, and the sheet-metal door split cleanly in two. The faint stench of decay turned into a foul reek rushing straight at them, making everyone instinctively cover their noses.

A dim glow flickered in Ling Ying's eyes, allowing her to see through the darkness and make out the scene inside. Several bodies lay scattered across the room, every one of them horribly mangled.

"They're dead."

Ling Ying turned to look at Little Bertha, her expression grave.

"Are there any man-eating beasts around here?"