Zaun, at the intersection of the mid-level plaza and the lower-level trench.
Thick toxic haze churned, visibility reduced to less than half a meter.
Due to the collapse of a third of the filter stations from the explosion, over a thousand people crowded inside the building and under the outside eaves. Most held a piece of oil-soaked cloth to their mouths and noses, not daring to even open their eyes.
Only a very few who arrived here first possessed alchemical respiratory filtration devices, while the station staff had full-face filtering masks.
They needed these to repair the air filters inside the station.
This toxic gas was far more harmful than the gray haze in Zaun. If one were to open their eyes, they could likely be blinded by the toxic haze in just a few minutes.
In truth, the air filters in the filter station were already damaged. People staying here would be of no help.
But due to limited visibility, even if they escaped from the lower levels of the plaza, the filter stations in the middle and upper levels were now surely overcrowded.
Unless they directly headed to the upper levels of Zaun or Piltover, their impact would be lessened.
However, those living here were mostly impoverished, having no money to board a Hextech pressure transport.
Coughs and cries of pain from the filter station filled the air, with some weak individuals already coughing up blood.
A sense of despair was spreading.
But not long after, 20 mechanized engineers received instructions from the AI and swiftly descended, carrying a large quantity of Shimmer medication. They quickly scanned the area and began data analysis.
[filter station collapsed, in need of repair.]
[Currently, 296 critically injured patients and 563 mildly injured patients require urgent treatment.]
[Current remaining quantity of Shimmer medication: 198 bottles. When diluted, it can roughly treat 366 people.]
[Currently, 2079 lightly injured and 985 seriously injured individuals have been discovered at the incident site and are being transported by other engineering squads.]
[Estimated time for Piltover mechanical engineering troops to arrive: 5 minutes and 36 seconds. Rapid allocation in progress...]
In just two or three seconds, three engineers handed their messenger bags to other nearby robots and flew to the collapsed area of the filter station, quickly patching and repairing it with scattered metal debris and other metal objects found on the roadside.
Another 5 engineers swiftly opened medical kits and, with the Shimmer medication carried by other engineers, continuously prepared different concentrations of liquid medicine and syringes.
In addition, 12 engineers began by injecting life-threatening patients with syringes.
The staff at the filter station were stunned to see this orderly and swift action by the robots, even stopping their efforts to repair the air filters.
As another batch of seriously injured patients was about to arrive, and given the limited quantity of Shimmer that Li Lin stored in the factory, the AI temporarily instructed the engineers not to distribute medication to the lightly injured. They only quickly treated their external wounds to prevent contamination by the haze or to wait until they were almost unable to cope before using Shimmer to help them breathe.
After all, in this environment, without respiratory filtration devices, and with the air filters in the filter station still unrepaired, Shimmer could only temporarily sustain their lives.
Fortunately, it didn't take long before Li Lin, briefed by Vander, quickly arrived at the filter station.
Seeing the wailing crowd here, Li Lin was both angry and worried.
Without hesitation, he immediately flew over the crowded area, brushing past the heads of the people at the filter station, and reached the innermost part.
The staff saw an extraordinary "machine" coming towards them and suddenly realized, "You... you are!"
"I'm Li Lin, a craftsman from the Kiramman family. Leave the rest to me."
With a slight push, Li Lin moved a few staff members blocking the air filter, his movements somewhat rough, but none of them were angry, and some were even very pleased.
This was the "Future Pioneer" that had become famous in both cities over the past few months, the youngest and most outstanding craftsman in Piltover.
With him here, they didn't have to worry about how to repair the air filters anymore.
However, these staff members still had some concerns.
How could an outstanding craftsman from the upper city, who studied Hextech technology, repair this alchemical technology equipment?
Amid the worried gazes of the crowd, Li Lin squatted down and first pulled the switch to start the air filter in front of him.
There was no response.
Then, he let the AI scan the problem with the alchemical technology machine in front of him, while activating "Data Mind," quickly discovering the problem.
At this time, the person in charge of the filter station approached with concern, asking, "Mr. Li Lin... what tools do you need? We'll get them for you right away."
"Not needed."
Through the mask, Li Lin's mechanical voice reached the ears of several staff members.
Because of the intense coughing on the scene, they thought they had misheard themselves.
The leader hurriedly asked again, "What did you...what did you say?"
Li Lin shook his head and directly pressed down on the air filter in front of him.
With the situation critical, he didn't have time to assess the staff. He allocated all his remaining 14 skill points to "Mechanical Repair," raising it to level 8.
Immediately, his mana disappeared, over 1000 points gone in an instant. A faint blue light filled nearly half the space occupied by the filter station's huge air filtration equipment.
Several staff members were dumbfounded, not knowing what had happened.
Only an old woman in the corner of the hall, tasting the metallic decay in her mouth, couldn't help but exclaim, "This is magic! Is it the manifestation of Janna, the Goddess of the Wind?!"
Hearing the old woman's cry, several staff members widened their eyes beneath their masks, simultaneously inhaling sharply, which caused them to inhale a few traces of haze, resulting in violent coughing.
When they caught their breath and heard the rumbling of the machine, they felt their breathing had become much smoother. They looked up in amazement to find that the air filter in front of them had been repaired.
Not only that, but its operation seemed even smoother than before, with none of the metallic friction they were used to hearing.
Li Lin not only repaired the air filter but also used "Mechanical Enhancement" to raise it to the level of an artifact.
With this, the entire filter station could completely rid itself of the threat of toxic haze in less than 10 minutes.
And the newly arrived mechanical soldiers, following Li Lin's orders, began dismantling the scattered metals outside the nearby houses, preparing to expand the filter station to accommodate several thousand people and bring them all inside.
"The air filter is fixed..."
"This...this is really magic!"
"Mr. Li Lin, are you actually a spellcaster?!"
"Mr. Li Lin is from Ionia...oh, that does make sense!"
Hearing the staff's exclamations, part of the crowd near the air filter heard the roar of the machine and also felt their breathing improve significantly, immediately erupting into excitement.
"It's not Janna, it's Lord Li Lin, Lord Li Lin saved us!"
"The one from the Kiramman Family?"
"Yes, the Future Pioneer, Li Lin..."
"I remember now! The mad Alchemist Baron from the Osweald Asylum...he was the one who led the arrest!"
"The robot that just saved me is also his invention. He saved us!"
"He has been dedicated to building Zaun for the past year. He is our savior!"
"Li Lin! Li Lin! Li Lin!"
...
Gradually, the entire filter station began to chant Li Lin's name.
He felt a kind of indescribable bitterness in his heart.
Taking a deep breath, Li Lin had the staff assist the mechanical soldiers in taking care of the people. He then walked out of the filter station.
The shimmering potions had run out, and there were still many severely injured people present, with the bulk of the Piltover engineering corps due to arrive in just over two minutes.
He sighed and exchanged the more than 500 points of blue essence he had accumulated by selling artifact-quality devices he had made in his spare time for "Life Potion" to help those critically ill patients.
According to the AI's report, over ten mechanical soldiers were lost, the situation in the explosion area had temporarily stabilized, and the leaked alchemical toxins had been cleaned up.
The haze wouldn't deepen any further, but...
Li Lin surveyed the area and, considering the current visibility of less than half a meter and the geographical issues in Zaun, realized that it would take at least several months for this toxic haze to naturally dissipate to its original level.
The people of Zaun couldn't afford to wait, and their bodies couldn't withstand such a wait.
He stood still for a moment, deep in thought. His gaze returned to the hall of the filter station, and he used infrared thermal imaging to lock onto the old woman who had just shouted "Janna's manifestation."
After hesitating for a moment, Li Lin flew to the old woman's side, landing gently, and asked softly, "Excuse me for interrupting...may I ask, are you a follower of Janna?"
(End of Chapter)