Heading to Zaun

"How is it? Is it done?"

"Ah, just a moment!"

Ling Ying's voice came from outside, snapping Orianna out of her daze. At the same time, she hurried to add a closing to the letter on her desk.

"Father, I understand your worries about me, but please forgive your daughter's willfulness this time. I will definitely return home safely. Your loving daughter, Orianna."

After writing this, Orianna put it into a clean white envelope. Then she stamped it with a fiery red postmark. She then stood up from her chair, one hand holding the letter, the other carrying a bulging backpack, and ran towards the door.

Ling Ying was already waiting at the door. Like Orianna, she was carrying a large backpack. Today, she was wearing a thick, pure black hoodie and a dark gray leather jacket. Her lower half was clad in dark brown python-print tight-fitting trousers paired with mountain boots of the same color that could adapt to various terrains. Compared to her usual preference for dresses, she looked less charming and more heroic and spirited.

"Young Lady Orianna, you're quite flustered."

Ling Ying strode forward a few steps, taking the heavy backpack from Orianna. At the same time, she teased her without holding back.

"Cecilia, I thought it would be better to send a letter to my father... so it might have delayed things a bit."

"Aha, about that..."

Ling Ying put on a mysterious expression, then snapped her fingers with a crisp sound. A dashing young man immediately turned from the side and stopped in front of them. Orianna looked closely and realized it was Anderson Oliver.

"You heard everything just now, so I don't need to say more about this small matter, right?"

"Yes! Big Sister! I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

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

"Alright, now we can set off. The carriage is already waiting outside."

Ling Ying smiled at Orianna, who looked surprised.

"I still find it a bit unbelievable..."

Orianna stepped out of the carriage, glancing at the Anderson Family crest on the carriage. Her face was filled with surprise and curiosity.

"That arrogant Oliver, to think he'd be bossed around by you, Cecilia, like a subordinate."

"Aha, after all, I saved his life. He's not entirely irredeemable scum, so it's normal for him to know how to repay kindness."

Ling Ying waved her hand casually.

"No matter what, this is..."

"No matter what, what surprises me more is that we have a secret detective among us. Junior Student... ah, no, Miss Cecilia."

"Aha, you can still call me Junior Student. In fact, I quite like it. It makes me seem younger."

Ling Ying spoke and turned around, then looked up at Viktor at a 45-degree angle.

"Speaking of which, Senior, is it appropriate for you to just bring this thing out like this?"

"There's nothing inappropriate about it."

As Viktor spoke, he moved his steel body—a tall Power Armor with a matte dark gray coating. The thick, streamlined chest plate was emblazoned with a pattern of three gears surrounding a sword at Ling Ying's strong insistence. This instantly gave the steel giant a sense of institutional mystery.

"The basic tests were all completed intensively these past few days. Zaun's environment is complex, making it perfect for the T-60's actual combat testing. After all, some data cannot be obtained in a laboratory. Moreover, with it, we can better handle some emergency situations. And it can also deter some petty individuals with ulterior motives. Zaun is never short of such people."

"Senior Viktor considers everything so meticulously. Indeed, with the T-60, we should be able to provide more help to the Zaun People."

Orianna's face bloomed into a warm smile.

"Speaking of which... shall we set off now?"

"Wait a moment. No rush."

Ling Ying spoke and glanced at the wristwatch on her hand. The hands were still 5 minutes away from eight o'clock. So she stretched leisurely, showing no intention of departing. Viktor and Orianna didn't understand what Ling Ying was up to and could only wait where they were until exactly eight o'clock. A familiar figure slowly walked out of the morning light and stopped in front of the three of them. It turned out to be Jayce, whom they hadn't seen in days. He was fully equipped with luggage, clearly looking like he was about to head out as well.

"This..."

Orianna and Viktor were both startled. Their gazes darted around, finally landing on Ling Ying. Coincidentally, Jayce's gaze also swept over the two of them, before finally turning to Ling Ying as well.

"I'll go with you, at the invitation of Junior Student Cecilia."

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

"Excellent, everyone is here. Let's go."

As Ling Ying spoke, she strode towards the Hextech Pressure Elevator docked on the tracks.

The Hextech Pressure Elevator descended at a constant speed. The magnificent and exquisite buildings and spacious streets within view were quickly replaced by rough copper and iron grid buildings and crowded, messy alleys. Compared to Piltover's bright splendor, the entire Zaun appeared dim and lusterless, mostly due to the layer of oily, thick, and unresolvable polluting smog that accumulated at the top of Zaun. Only on a few days of the year could Zaun enjoy the sunlight from Piltover pouring into the rift from above. Ling Ying looked at the scenery of Piltover for a while, then withdrew her gaze and looked at the three people inside the cabin. Due to the escalating gas leak, there were few Piltover citizens traveling to Zaun recently. There were only Ling Ying and her group of four in the elevator, which made the atmosphere somewhat heavy.

"Senior Jayce... I."

"Junior Student Orianna, there's no need to apologize, nor is there any need to say more."

Jayce shook his head and interrupted Orianna.

"Whether it's what you said or what I think, it's essentially subjective. I'm accompanying you on this action to see for myself what Zaun is truly like."

"But..."

Orianna clearly wanted to say something else when the elevator cabin suddenly jolted slightly, a green light flashed above, and the cabin door slowly slid open to both sides.

"Tower Station, we've arrived."

As the arrival announcement played, a somewhat pungent smell immediately assaulted Ling Ying's senses. She tightened her Half-Covered Respirator. But before she could take a few steps off the platform, several thugs equipped with Alchemical Prosthetics surrounded her.

"Stop! Who are you?"

A tall thug wearing a Black Trench Coat took the lead, blocking Ling Ying. On his shiny bald head, a Mechanical Eye emitted a Crimson glow.

"A Piltover Volunteer, here to assist Zaun with the Gas Leak Incident."

Ling Ying responded calmly while nodding towards the Armband on her right arm. It was issued by the Piltover Security Department before she left, supposedly capable of monitoring the wearer's vital signs. However, Ling Ying figured Piltover wouldn't likely send anyone to pick her up if something happened to her. Thus, this item was more of an identification to show the Zaun people, as the relationship between Zaun and Piltover could hardly be called harmonious. With this, she wouldn't easily end up as a corpse in the Sewer.

"Tch, Piltover scum."

The Eyeball Thug scoffed disdainfully, then scanned Ling Ying from head to toe with his Mechanical Eye. A lewd smile suddenly appeared on his scarred face.

"Say, what are you here to help with, girl? Why not help us brothers out and let us have some fun?"

The Eyeball Thug's words drew crude laughter from the men behind him. Ling Ying's brows furrowed slightly. Just as she was about to say something, a mechanical voice suddenly came from behind her.

"That's not right. The hospitality of Zaun people shouldn't be used to harass women."

"Hey! Who the hell do you think you are, meddling in my business..."

The Eyeball Thug's provocative gaze shifted past Ling Ying towards the source of the voice. But when he realized he could only see an Alloy Chestplate, he tilted his head up in confusion, then saw a majestic Steel Head with two eyes emitting a purple glow. (Actually, it was a Headlight).

"What the..."

He didn't finish his sentence before his legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the ground. Fortunately, Viktor timely pulled him up with his Mechanical Arm, preventing him from performing such a grand gesture.

"You're being overly enthusiastic. We're all brothers, no need for such formalities. We'd be grateful if you could just point us to the affected area."

The thug glanced at Viktor's helmet, then at the Mechanical Arm that was a size larger than his own head. He nodded woodenly, then seemed to remember something and shakily pointed in a direction with his finger.

"Gas Contamination Zone... yesterday it was several kilometers down that way. There's a Piltover person's Temporary Camp on the way, you'll see it in a few hundred meters."

"Thank you."

Viktor nodded, then released his grip. The thug's feet slipped, and he fell face-first onto the ground in a clumsy heap.

"Let's go."

Following the direction the thug pointed, Ling Ying soon found the Piltover camp he mentioned. Calling it a camp was a bit of a stretch; it was just a few temporary houses for Piltover volunteers resting in Zaun. But since very few Piltover people were willing to support Zaun, the camp was naturally as minimalist as possible. When the four of them arrived, one and a half of the three temporary houses were occupied. However, the camp leader—a kind-faced middle-aged man named Connor—warmly welcomed them. He introduced himself as a well-known doctor from Piltover who, out of sympathy for the Zaun People, had brought some apprentices and volunteers to help.

"The situation is very grim right now."

Connor pointed to a Zaun map marked with conspicuous color blocks, showing it to Ling Ying and the others.

"Even with the Decontamination Work constantly intensifying, we haven't been able to curb the spread of the gas. We suspect the storage tanks in the factories where the initial explosions occurred might not be completely empty yet. And Zaun's enclosed, oppressive environment lacks the ability to naturally dilute the gas. Dozens of Districts have become Gas Infestation Zones. Moreover... the mixture of multiple gases seems to have produced unexpected chemical reactions, making the symptoms of gas victims terrifyingly contagious. And we haven't come up with any countermeasures for this yet."

Doctor Connor's words cast a heavy atmosphere over the small living room. Even Ling Ying, an outsider, could sense the gravity of the situation. Just as silence began to spread, a sudden commotion outside caught everyone's attention.

"Link?! What's going on?"

As soon as Doctor Connor finished speaking, a young man in a white hazmat suit, with a head of messy gray hair, pushed the door open. He spoke, somewhat out of breath.

"Doctor Connor... outside... there's a little girl, she insists we send people to rescue survivors on her street. But our camp has no manpower. I told her to find other Zaun people, but she's just stuck here. What do you think... we should do?"

"Let her in."

"Huh? But..."

"Let her in."

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

"At least we can't let a child lose hope so easily."

"Okay... okay, I'll go bring her in..."

The young man named Link turned and left. Before long, a disheveled little girl burst in. Her old clothes looked greasy, as if she hadn't changed them in ages. Her long black hair might have been stuck together because she hadn't washed it for too long. The only clean part of her was her eyes, which still held a clear gaze. She surveyed everyone in the room with that gaze, then suddenly knelt down.

"Please, all you Piltover Lords, ladies, please save us..."

"Child, don't rush, speak slowly."

Doctor Connor quickly pulled the little girl up. Then, without any hesitation, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the dirt from her face.

"What do you need our help with?"

"My younger sister, and my other friends."

The little girl choked back a sob. Then she continued.

"Our district is surrounded by poison gas! Everyone has been trapped for days. I finally managed to run out to seek help, but no one was willing to help us. I heard there were people from Piltover nearby, so I rushed over. You can help us, right? Mother said Piltover people have very powerful technology, they can definitely help us..."

"I..."

Doctor Connor's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered. He led the little girl to the map.

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

"Um... here..."

The little girl squinted, struggling to identify the area, then pointed a finger at a section of overlapping colored areas on the map.

The living room instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Doctor Connor's face changed several times, just like the map. He clearly didn't know what to say. Ling Ying, however, calmly glanced at where the little girl was pointing and slowly said.

"Multi-Gas Infestation Zone? Are there even any survivors there?"

"That's not necessarily true."

Before Doctor Connor could speak, Viktor interjected with a thoughtful expression.

"Zaun's terrain is complex, and some districts are naturally more secluded. This spot on the map, if I recall correctly, is where a Fog Condenser funded by Piltover is located. The clash of powerful air currents might have formed some kind of airflow barrier, isolating the district..."

"Yes, yes! The poison gas can't get in!"

The Little Girl quickly nodded, seeing someone engage her.

"But everyone's food is almost gone. If no one comes to help us, we'll starve to death. That's why I risked everything to escape through the sewers. But the sewers are too narrow, I could barely squeeze through. Everyone else couldn't come with me, so I have to wait here for someone to rescue them."

"But, child..."

Doctor Connor shook his head, his face darkening.

"Have you considered that while the poison gas might not be able to get in, it also means humans can't get out through the contaminated zone. Once inside, as you said, it might be an island surrounded by death. We might not be able to help you with this..."

"How could this be..."

The girl was stunned into silence. After a moment, she anxiously said, "Don't you have amazing technology? Mother said Piltover's Hextech can do anything. She always thought about working hard so my Younger Sister and I could move to Piltover..."

"This..."

Doctor Connor crouched down, forcing a smile onto his face.

"But Hextech was also created by humans. This means it has limitations, just like humans. So..."

"Then you've come to the right person. We'll help you rescue your neighbors."

"?"

Ling Ying's sudden statement drew everyone's surprised gazes. Doctor Connor took a deep breath and then said, "Miss Cecilia, you've only just arrived and might not understand the situation. The contaminated zone is extremely dangerous. The mixture of multiple toxic gases could even render protective equipment useless..."

"Ah, existing equipment might not be reliable, but we have magic that can deal with the current situation."

Ling Ying scanned everyone present and flashed a brilliant smile.

"After all, we can't let a child lose hope."

"We have indeed entered the contaminated zone."

Viktor glanced at the beeping monitor, then at the swirling, eerie black mist beside him.

"But Junior Student Cecilia's methods are indeed... very marvelous. Although I don't know the exact principle, this layer of black mist has indeed isolated all the poisonous gas outside. It's clean inside, like another space."

"That's natural. How could I do something I wasn't sure of?"

Ling Ying wore a proud, smiling expression. This ability to manipulate black mist on a small scale was something Ling Ying had only recently mastered. She hadn't expected it to be so useful today.

"Speaking of which, Junior Student, what kind of strange ability is this of yours?"

Jayce asked curiously, but only received a mysterious wink from Ling Ying.

"This is a little girl's secret. Senior Student can't ask."

"Ah, this..."

"Then can I ask? Cecilia and I are both girls, so it's okay to exchange secrets, right?"

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

Ling Ying turned around and put on a fierce, claw-waving expression towards Orianna, who had transformed into curious cat number two.

"That's a top-secret matter belonging to the Enforcement Department. If you ask carelessly, be careful you don't end up having coffee the next day."

"Ah? That serious?"

"Of course. So, don't ask, don't inquire, understand? Let's keep moving."

"We... have arrived."

After Ling Ying's group had traveled through the poisoned area for about half a day, the Little Girl sitting on Viktor's armored shoulder identified their surroundings through the now very thin black mist and said to everyone somewhat timidly.

"Is this where you live?"

Ling Ying surveyed the alleyways before her, piled high with a hodgepodge of dilapidated shacks. It looked even more run-down than any slum on Earth. But for the people of Zaun, just surviving was difficult enough, let alone having a bright and beautiful facade.

"The gas content is negligible. It seems, as she said, the poisonous gas has indeed been isolated by the gas barrier."

Viktor nodded at Ling Ying. The next second, the black mist that had enveloped them gradually dissipated, and after a faint shimmer, it all returned to Ling Ying's body. Ling Ying let out a soft breath and then looked at everyone, who were staring at her with strange expressions.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Uh... nothing. I just felt like Cecilia, you looked a lot like a villain just now..."

"..."

Ling Ying shook her head helplessly. Just as she was about to say something in her defense, the Little Girl suddenly jumped down from Viktor's shoulder and ran towards a shack with the wind at her heels.

"Uncle Thomas? It's Little Bertha, I've brought rescue..."

The girl named Bertha was just about to knock when the rough tin door opened on its own. It had only been ajar, and no one was inside.

Little Bertha let out a surprised sound. After calling out a few more times with no response, she led Ling Ying and the others toward the center of the street. According to her, the man named Tomus must have gone to check on other houses, as he was the most helpful person in the neighborhood.

"Let's go find Sister Belle first. She'll definitely be here."

Little Bertha walked ahead, explaining the situation to everyone. However, unlike her optimism, the further they walked, the more solemn Ling Ying's expression became. A faint smell of decay constantly provoked her sensitive taste buds. She looked toward a house at the street corner, and coincidentally, Little Bertha also stopped in front of this house.

"This is Sister Belle's house. Let's..."

Before Little Bertha could finish speaking, Ling Ying suddenly lunged forward, blocking her path. Doran's Blade instantly appeared in her hand, and a cold light flashed. The tin door split in half without suspense. The faint smell of decay instantly turned into a foul stench that assaulted them, making everyone instinctively cover their noses.

A faint glow flickered in Ling Ying's pupils, allowing her to see through the darkness into the house. Multiple corpses lay scattered inside, each in a gruesome, incomplete state.

"They're dead."

Ling Ying turned to look at Little Bertha, her gaze full of seriousness.

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