Li Lin's eyes gleamed with an unusual brilliance as he fixed his gaze on Vander, leaving the latter utterly perplexed. It wasn't just Li Lin; even Vander's subordinates, after hearing Li Lin's words, involuntarily directed their intense gazes towards Vander.
"Why are you all staring at me?" Vander extinguished his pipe, placing it on the table. "I wasn't planning..."
"Vander," Sevika's husky voice interrupted him. "Don't you want the Undercity to become better?"
"You say that, but our initial dream was exactly that..." Vander's eyes briefly met those of each of his subordinates, realizing that they seemed to agree with Li Lin's words.
Before he could offer an explanation, everyone spoke up, each trying to persuade him:
"Undercity is yours, Vander. Those Chem-Barons should listen to you."
"Yeah, Vander, you gave those Chem-Barons their territories; you should be the boss of the Undercity!"
"I think this young man is right. To make Undercity better, we need a leader."
"A few years ago, you led us and the Chem-Barons in resisting the Upper City. It may have failed, but I believe they would still follow your orders..."
"Hmph, in my opinion, even if it means opposing those Chem-Barons to change the situation in Undercity, so be it. We outnumber them, and we're not pushovers."
Amidst the clamor of opinions, Vander lowered his head, raised his arm, and gestured for everyone to quiet down.
"I understand what you all mean. But you also know that I've been staying in Lanes these past few years, almost cutting ties with those Chem-Barons."
"Now, they've built their own forces, strong and independent. Even if they might give me some face, the likelihood of them obeying my orders is slim."
He sighed deeply, a look of helplessness on his face.
"In that case, let them see your strength, Vander. Prove that you're not done yet," Sevika suggested, her expression emotionless, a hint of ruthlessness in her eyes as she flicked the cigarette butt away and stomped it out.
"If they're unwilling to cooperate, you should use your fists to speak, just like when you conquered the Undercity before."
Vander furrowed his brow, realizing that reasoning with his straightforward subordinates might be futile. He turned to Li Lin.
"Talking about this might not be appropriate now, but you, coming from Ionia, having witnessed wars, you should understand that struggle comes with sacrifice."
"Moreover, I believe you must have heard about the 'Day of Ashes' a few years ago. After that day, I returned to the Undercity, consolidated my power, and established the Lanes."
"I've witnessed too many familiar faces fall before my eyes, their souls taken by the Eternal Hunters. That's why I built this place—to provide a sanctuary, unite everyone, help each other, and protect each other."
"If you need my help, I genuinely want to assist you. But those Chem-Barons won't listen to me. If you choose to be forceful, they won't sit idly by; struggle and bloodshed are inevitable..."
Vander didn't state his thoughts explicitly, but the message he conveyed was reasonably understandable.
In essence, he didn't want his subordinates to take such a risk...
However, Li Lin's perspective differed: "You've misunderstood me, Vander."
Vander raised an eyebrow in confusion, "...Hmm?"
"I don't need your men to take risks or shed blood. I only need your stance," Li Lin explained.
"Stance?" Vander still couldn't grasp it. "If there's no bloodshed, no resistance against the Chem-Barons, how do you convince those people?"
But Li Lin didn't answer his question. "If you gather them using a certain status, could you call for a meeting, and would they respond to your call?"
"Well..." Vander scratched his grayish-black beard uncertainly. "There are a total of 5 people who used to work with us in the mines and have now become Chem-Barons. But in recent years, new people have climbed to the top of the power ladder, becoming new Chem-Barons."
"With my current influence, the five I mentioned should come, but the others, the Chem-Barons I don't know, might give me some face. However, I believe that the majority won't respond to my call..."
"Enough. Summon those you can, and let the rest be."
"What do you plan to do by gathering them?" Vander asked in confusion.
Li Lin thought for a moment, then slowly uttered a few words, "Chem-Barons' meeting."
After a brief pause, he added, "I'm going to 'persuade' them in my own way."
...
...
After reaching an agreement, Li Lin and Vander set a one-month timeframe.
Because Vander was unlikely to provide much help, Li Lin needed to prepare everything as much as possible during this period.
The first batch of small generators needed to be constructed as much as possible, at least enough to be showcased to the Chem-Barons during the meeting on the same day.
According to Li Lin's plan, the replacement of the power equipment had to be done step by step.
Shutting down and rebuilding the Chemtech power generation at once was not feasible. Not only would the Chem-Barons refuse to agree, but the citizens of Zaun would also be unhappy with such a move. It would severely impact their daily lives, and a significant number would even lose their jobs.
Firstly, an alternative power plant needed to be established.
Given Zaun's geographical environment, Li Lin believed tidal energy could be developed first.
By harnessing the tidal currents near Zaun or the rise and fall of the tidal sea surface, energy could be extracted.
Compared to conventional hydroelectric stations, tidal energy power plants had lower construction costs and faster deployment, minimizing the time cost of putting them into operation.
As for why wind power was not considered...
The sea breeze in the Piltovian Great Canyon was unstable, varying with the seasons and weather conditions.
To achieve stable wind power generation, they would need the help of Zaun's patron deity—Janna, the Wind Goddess.
However, time was pressing, and Li Lin currently didn't know how to summon her. Even if he could summon her, there was no guarantee she would agree.
As for large-scale power plants like thermal power stations, he planned to rebuild them as replacements after dismantling the Chemtech power generation facilities.
This was not a task that could be completed in the short term, and there was no need to consider it at the current stage.
In addition to this, Li Lin had learned from books that the sewers of Piltover led to a certain area in the depths of Zaun and then discharged into the sea after simple treatment.
This was a complete waste.
He planned to take the time to survey the terrain in the area where the sewage was discharged into the sea.
If possible, building a biogas power station in the sewer could be a good choice.
In the elevator back to Piltover, Li Lin in the powered armor sighed deeply.
There was still much to be done...
(End of this chapter)
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