assistance

Since leaving Zaun, Viktor had not returned here for a long time.

The pungent, familiar smell in the air made him nostalgic, and he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"Cough, cough"

Viktor quickly took out a mask and put it on.

If he inhaled too much of this polluted air, his body truly wouldn't hold up; he almost fainted just now.

"Who is this guy?"

Vi looked at Viktor with scrutiny in her eyes.

"Viktor, also a Zaunite."

Chen Nuo introduced.

"Huh?"

Vi looked at Viktor's attire with some suspicion.

This sickly, weak appearance hardly looked like a Zaunite; he looked more like one of those Piltover nobles who had ruined their bodies, just look at the fabric of his clothes.

"I didn't expect you to have friends in Zaun."

Viktor looked at Chen Nuo with some surprise, growing more convinced of him in his heart.

Compared to Jayce, Chen Nuo seemed to truly treat everyone equally, regardless of whether they were from Zaun or Piltover; this was the most precious quality.

Although Jayce always showed it, Viktor could easily sense the subconscious discrimination against Zaunites in the subtle details.

"Who said I'm friends with this guy!"

Vi grabbed Viktor's clothes and shoved her face in front of him, brandishing her fist.

"If you throw that punch, Viktor definitely won't get up off the ground."

Although Chen Nuo was trying to mediate, anyone with eyes could tell he was enjoying the show, anticipation written all over his face.

"Consumption-ridden ghost, if you're going to die, don't do it at my doorstep."

Vi let go of Viktor and grumbled.

Viktor straightened his clothes, his expression very calm.

It seemed this was the usual way Zaunites greeted each other; nothing to pay too much attention to, he was long accustomed to it.

Compared to other Zaunites, Vi was already quite polite.

"Alright, move aside quickly, I'm looking for Vander."

Chen Nuo pushed Vi aside, and under her resentful gaze, he led Viktor into the Fuggen Bar.

"The environment here is surprisingly nice."

Viktor was a bit surprised, not expecting that Zaun seemed to be transforming for the better in the years he had been gone.

"Nuo!"

Powder was the first to see Chen Nuo and clung onto him.

"You really are very popular."

Viktor's words sounded inexplicably a bit sour.

It wasn't because of romantic matters between men and women, but because he genuinely had few friends, whether in Piltover or Zaun.

"Envious?"

"Stop joking, my entire life is dedicated to the pursuit of truth."

"Could it be that your body is already failing you?"

"Nonsense! Slander!"

Viktor vehemently refuted.

He could ignore other things, but his dignity as a man needed to be properly defended.

"New friend?"

Vander subtly sized up Viktor.

"That's right, Viktor."

Chen Nuo took the juice from the bar, patted Viktor's shoulder, and then pointed to Vander, saying:

"This is Vander."

"I have heard that name before."

Viktor paused, looking deeply at Vander.

Zaunites might not have seen Vander, but they certainly would have heard of this name.

"Since you're a friend, this drink is on me."

Vander poured a small cup of wine for Viktor; mainly because the man looked even weaker than Chen Nuo, he didn't dare pour a large cup.

"Thank you."

Viktor downed it in one gulp, almost choking.

"I have obtained what you asked for."

Vander took out a tightly sealed box from under the table and pushed it in front of Chen Nuo.

Opening it, several hextech crystals were inside.

"This stuff is too dangerous; it almost cost someone their life."

Vander couldn't help but complain.

He had witnessed the explosive power of the hextech crystal; it directly caused a mine shaft to collapse. If his subordinates hadn't retreated quickly, they would have been buried.

"That's because your people were careless and didn't take it seriously; the technical solutions I provided are definitely not the issue,"

Chen Nuo retorted, leaving Vander speechless.

Zaunites were indeed a bit rough in their work, not comparable to the technical workers in Piltover.

Viktor didn't interject; his attention was entirely on the hextech crystals. He hadn't expected Chen Nuo to really have connections in Zaun.

"The quality is average, but it's enough for experimental research. Can you guarantee a stable supply?"

"Uh, not yet."

Vander spoke frankly, his expression somewhat troubled.

"That's not what you told me before."

Chen Nuo tapped the table, staring at Vander. He had already provided the mining equipment and funding, yet now there was a problem.

"There was an accident; someone in the lower levels is causing trouble for us."

Vander explained.

"Someone in Zaun dares to give Vander trouble? Tell me who it is, and I'll send Vi to bite them!"

"I'll bite you to death first!"

Vi lunged at Chen Nuo upon hearing this, but he grabbed the back of her head, preventing her from moving forward even an inch, leaving her only able to emit unwilling muffled sounds.

"I can handle it; just give me a little more time."

Vander had his own plans.

Just then, the bar door was pushed open, and a dark-skinned woman with a rough face hurried toward Vander. Vander's expression became solemn upon seeing her.

"What happened, Sevika?"

"We have trouble. A chemical factory was bombed; it was done by Silco's people."

Sevika whispered into Vander's ear.

"Silco, is he the trouble we have?"

Chen Nuo swirled the empty cup in his hand and asked, looking up.

Knowing that concealment was no longer possible, Vander explained the situation.

Zaun's social structure, much like its geographical structure, was divided into upper, middle, and lower tiers.

The upper tier was close to the surface, having access to sunlight and fresh air; it was the most prosperous area of Zaun, and the families living there were naturally well-off.

The environmental conditions in the middle tier were poor, covered by vast amounts of chemical factories and perpetually shrouded in toxic smog.

However, this level had air circulation systems and purification devices, which could barely guarantee normal living conditions.

Most of the technical workers and black market merchants resided here.

The lowest tier of Zaun not only faced a severely polluted living environment but also engaged mostly in the most dangerous work; many people might not see a ray of sunlight all year long.

The area controlled by Vander was the middle and upper tiers of Zaun.

These represented the lifelines of Zaun's economy and power, respectively.

As for the very bottom, even Vander could not gain complete control; some of his opponents and extremists hid there, occasionally causing trouble for Vander.

However, most of the time, these people couldn't stir up much trouble.

Mainly because they lacked popular support; most citizens were unwilling to side with them.

Zaunites weren't inherently rioters; as long as they could make a living, they preferred stability.

Although Vander was not as harsh as he used to be, and his attitude toward Piltover was somewhat too lenient, under his rule, the situation in Zaun was indeed actively transforming for the better.

So, under normal circumstances, these extremists tended to hide from Vander's people.

It was just that the situation this time was different; Vander had personally led people into the depths of Zaun to mine hextech crystals, touching the core interests of the other side, which caused this group's extreme reaction.

And the leader of this group was a fellow named Silco.

This man was once Vander's close friend, sharing an extremely intimate relationship, much like that between Vi's parents.

It wasn't until Vander led the people of Zaun in an uprising, which resulted in the deaths of Vi's parents, that he realized his past radical path was mistaken, leading him to part ways with Silco and turn against him.

"Who is this kid?"

Sevika frowned as she looked at Chen Nuo, feeling that this young man didn't seem like someone from Zaun.

"Don't ask too many questions, Sevika. I will handle this matter. You take your people and keep a close watch on Silco."

Vander had never explained his cooperation with Piltover to Sevika. He knew that she was actually a potential radical herself, but Zaun also needed to maintain a tough exterior.

Sevika withdrew her gaze upon hearing this and left with her people.

"My apologies to you both, I must take my leave for now."

Vander was rushing to deal with the trouble caused by the chemical plant explosion.

If this matter wasn't resolved properly, the consequences would be severe, potentially even destroying the fragile relationship currently existing with Piltover.

Piltover had always been resistant to Zaun's chemical plants.

The reason was simple: these factories posed too great a potential risk and caused severe environmental pollution, yet they were the last vestiges of Zaun's industrial production capacity.

Although Piltover shared some blame for Zaun's current alchemical smog and industrial wastewater, quite a bit of the resulting calamity was also created by the people of Zaun themselves.

It was only due to Vander's constant mediation that the Enforcers turned a blind eye.

If the councilors of Piltover felt that the harm from these factories was significant enough to affect Piltover, or if the citizens of Piltover became fearful of it, a new conflict war might erupt.

There was no choice; the current peace between Piltover and Zaun was too fragile. Even without the hextech crystal detonated by Powder, it might have shattered due to some other issue.

"Are you sure you don't need our help?"

Chen Nuo asked back. Vander hesitated but finally nodded.

"If you are willing, that would be for the best."

...If the upper levels of Zaun still held a shadow of the old Zaun, resembling a city, the middle levels were already very close to being a slum.

The architectural structure here was mainly composed of steel grates.

Melted down from salvaged waste from above, they were newly forged and completely distinct from Piltover's architectural style.

Using the most primitive bolt and mortise structure for support, vast expanses of glass served as walls.

Large amounts of thick smoke formed a heavy canopy, blocking all the sunlight that managed to seep down from the upper levels.

This area relied solely on uninterrupted furnaces and electric lights for illumination, making it difficult to distinguish day from night.

In such an environment, one could not expect any safety guarantees in the factories; they were riddled with various safety hazards.

However, the harsh and dangerous living conditions instead stimulated the unity of the Zaunites. At the very moment the chemical plant exploded, a large number of Zaunites nearby extended their aid.

By the time Vander and the others arrived at the incident site, the fire had already been extinguished, and some of the injured had received treatment.

The trouble was that dangerous chemicals inside the factory had already leaked, and a strong, pungent odor permeated the air.

The surrounding Zaunites either kept their distance or were wearing self-made, simple gas masks.

Zaun's geographical environment dictated that these dangerous chemicals could not be properly discharged. The inadequate underground pipes would only carry the pollution to the surrounding water sources and soil, further spreading the harm.

Vander could only order people to first cordon off the area around the factory with sandbags and use large amounts of foam for suppression.

This series of actions had no inherent problems, but it only delayed the spread of the issue, which would be difficult to resolve further in the short term.

"Why hasn't the air purification system been activated!"

Vander pulled the person in charge of the area over and questioned him.

The high temperature had evaporated a large amount of chemicals into the air, and the view was a sea of green.

This was the most critical issue at the moment.

The effect of the Zaunites' homemade gas masks was limited. If these toxic gases couldn't be expelled promptly, it was estimated that everyone in the surrounding area would collapse one after another before long.

"The exhaust fan was sabotaged. I've already sent craftsmen to repair it, but I don't know when they can finish."

The person in charge replied nervously.

Indeed, Zaun's air purification system was just that simple and unadorned: a few ventilated shafts that expelled the gas into the middle layer in the simplest way possible.

Not far away on the other side, Chen Nuo and the others were distributing gas masks and some emergency supplies to the affected Zaunites.

These were resources Vander had managed to accumulate over time.

"If you don't want a punch, line up obediently!!"

Vi shouted to maintain order, dragging out anyone who tried to cut the line. After a brief, physical exchange of greetings, the somewhat chaotic queue quickly became orderly.

Vi and the others had done this kind of work many times before; they were already skilled at it.

"These chemicals are highly corrosive; they need to be diluted with a large amount of water."

Viktor quickly made a judgment.

That was the theory, but where would Zaun get a large amount of water? They already had problems with their daily water supply, let alone where to discharge the resulting polluted water after dilution?

Chen Nuo didn't have any good suggestions for this either.

He couldn't possibly suggest referencing the methods used in Night City, where people dealt with environmental pollution not by modifying the environment, but by choosing to modify themselves to adapt to it.

Because compared to the former, the latter was clearly simpler.

"There's a problem that requires the help of you two professionals."

Vander found Chen Nuo and the other at this moment and stated the urgent matter.

The group arrived at the air duct opening and looked at the severely damaged motor. Chen Nuo rolled up his sleeves and calmly said to Viktor,

"Come lend a hand."

Viktor was stunned. Shouldn't he be the one saying that?

Although he grumbled inwardly, his body honestly moved forward to help.

Soon, the three-meter-high fan blades began to whir loudly, and the air circulation in that area finally resumed.

As for the remaining pollutants, they could only be dealt with manually, bit by bit.

Regardless of anything else, Silco's actions this time truly angered Vander. He had initially intended to handle the matter of the lower-level mineral veins as peacefully as possible, but now it seemed that was no longer an option.

Terrorists like this must be met with overwhelming force.