Voss had discovered oil in five of her mines, a fact Li Lin was already aware of.
However, during the Chem-Baron meeting, he hadn't figured out how to acquire these mines from Voss.
Initially, including the Dredge Prison Mine, Voss had a total of six mines under her control.
After the recent explosion, Li Lin decreed that they could no longer set up new Chemtech workshops and must gradually phase out Chemtech technology.
If he managed to acquire the oil fields, Voss would be left with just her most crucial mine, the "Dredge"
Even if Li Lin was only interested in the oil, Voss would still drag out negotiations over the other minerals for a long time.
This was standard business competition and didn't violate Piltover's laws.
Luckily, with the Urgot incident, Voss was eager for his help. Offering the rights to the oil fields in exchange for his assistance was an easy decision for her.
Li Lin returned to Silco's office, donned his armor, greeted him, and then exited through the window, ignoring Silco's exasperated look.
While discussing Urgot with Voss, his mechanical soldiers had already seized all Glasc Industries' factories and subdued Renata's loyal henchmen.
According to the AI's report, three refineries and one gunpowder factory had underground storage rooms filled with Chemtech bombs, enough to destroy a significant portion of Zaun.
Comparing the bomb components to the residue found at the explosion sites in the Midtown and Undercity borders matched perfectly.
This solidified Renata's guilt.
However, what worried Li Lin more was another issue:
If these factories had so many bombs, it was possible Renata had hidden more throughout Zaun for an escape plan.
If she were captured or killed, an entrusted subordinate could detonate the bombs...
On his way to the Undercity, Li Lin ordered the AI to reassign tasks to the mechanical soldiers, dispatching an additional two hundred units to scan every corner of Zaun for Chemtech bombs.
Due to the urgency, he called upon Janna, asking for her assistance.
Janna, understanding the gravity of the situation, agreed immediately and began searching for bombs.
By chance, one of the mechanical soldiers encountered Zac, who was aiding the residents in repairing public facilities in the Lower Midtown district.
Passing by, Li Lin requested Zac's help in the search.
Like Janna, Zac agreed without hesitation, transforming into his gelatinous form to seep through the cracks and into the underground.
A few minutes later, Li Lin arrived at the Dredge Mine as indicated by the map.
It was his first time venturing so deep into Zaun.
The environment was pitch dark, with only a few Chemtech lanterns filled with murky green liquid casting a faint, sickly glow.
Despite the tide power station providing electricity to the Undercity, the Chem-Barons preferred the low-cost Chemtech lamps fueled by cheap, long-lasting fuel over costly electricity.
Whether the miners could see while working was of no concern to them.
If a worker didn't meet the daily quota, they wouldn't be given food or water.
To these people, a human life was worth less than sustenance.
Most miners were orphans with no family, so there were no compensation costs if they died.
The Dredge was bad, but other mines weren't any better.
Li Lin frowned at the inhumane treatment of the workers by the Chem-Barons.
He glanced at the data analyzed by the AI on the holographic display.
The air here was so polluted it could be described as "unbreathable."
Without a respirator, even Li Lin, with his enhanced body, couldn't survive in this environment for more than a few minutes.
It was hard to imagine how people lived here.
Li Lin passed through the unattended iron gate, reaching the surface level of the Dredge Mine.
As an underground mine, the Dredge had a vast underground space that could accommodate two to three thousand people.
He entered through a door embedded in the cliffside, following the dim lights downward for over ten minutes before encountering two burly, tattooed men with Chemtech-enhanced bodies wielding Chemtech carbines.
They stood before a metal cage, easily over ten meters tall, connecting to the cave ceiling, chatting and laughing.
Noticing Li Lin, they were momentarily stunned before quickly aiming their guns at him, "Who are you?!"
Having spent years in the Undercity, they were unaware of the outside world and had no idea who this armored figure, resembling a "Hextech cyborg," was.
Ignoring their weapons, Li Lin asked, "Is Urgot your leader now?"
The two men exchanged a quick glance, seemingly amused by the young-sounding voice. They burst into mocking laughter.
"Who do you think you are?" sneered the bald thug on Li Lin's left.
The other thug, with Bilgewater-style tattoos and punk piercings, jeered, "Aren't you just another one of Shoola's spies?"
He stepped forward, tapping Li Lin's armor with his gun. "Pretty solid. Do you think this junk can withstand the Dreadnought?"
The Dreadnought was a nickname for Urgot, given by his followers after he "liberated" The Dredge from Shoola. To them, Urgot had no equal in the twin cities, not Lady Grey who haunted the upper city smog.
Li Lin's first impression of the two was that they were fearless due to ignorance.
"I was planning to spare your lives."
The thugs exchanged a glance and then laughed. The bald one couldn't contain his mirth, his eyes filled with disdain and malice.
Li Lin shook his head and activated the "Energy Field Shockwave" mode on his armor. Before the thugs could react, a burst of blue energy annihilated them completely.
Sumpter was a prison for the worst criminals. Anyone sent here by the Chem-Barons didn't last long unless they survived Urgot's brutal trials. Therefore, those loyal to Urgot were hardened criminals, and Li Lin had no reason to show mercy.
Switching his armor to infrared scan mode, Li Lin examined the area. According to the AI's data, there were 537 people left here, significantly fewer than the 1,800 Shoola had claimed. Li Lin knew where the missing ones had gone.
The scanner picked up an unusual life form in a small guardhouse a few hundred meters away. Using a series of teleportation "flashes," Li Lin moved through unseen areas, finally appearing in the guardhouse in front of a massive figure.
[Congratulations! You have encountered 25 heroes, level up by 2 levels, and earn 2 skill points.]
Just one more level to unlock more advanced technology, Li Lin thought, focusing on the bald "Dreadnought" before him. A strong man with a strong hairstyle.
Urgot's body was two-thirds mechanical, with only his head, left arm, and bare chest still flesh. Tubes of green Chemtech fluid connected his face to his mechanical body, enhancing his muscles and stimulating his mind. Six crab-like metal legs housed shotguns and flamethrowers.
Urgot was having a worker tattoo his left arm with a laser when he noticed the blue glow of Li Lin's armor. He threw the worker aside and stood, gears and metal scraping.
Stretching his crab legs, Urgot's right arm weapon locked onto Li Lin, green Chemtech fluid pulsing in his eyes. "Who are you?" Urgot's voice was raspy through the Chemtech filter. Recognition dawned. "Oh, I've seen reports about you in Piltover. Li Lin?"
"You know me?" Li Lin asked, surprised.
Urgot didn't answer, instead preparing for battle. His upper body separated, revealing a bloodied shredder and a drill connected by chains, which shot towards Li Lin.
Li Lin's armor's auto-defense system activated, deploying a force field to block the drill. Mini plasma blasts severed the chains. Urgot looked shocked.
"What is this?" Urgot demanded.
"Starting with your ultimate move? That's not fair play!" Li Lin retorted, eyes narrowing. "But today, you'll taste 'fear beyond death,' not me."
Urgot noticed the blue-white glow in Li Lin's raised palm, "Wait..."
Before he could speak further, a plasma blast enveloped him in a sphere of blue-white energy. In an instant, the "Dreadnought" was obliterated.
[You have killed Dreadnought Urgot (hero), level up by 5 levels, and earned 3000 blue essence, 300 orange essence, and 15 skill points.]
[Congratulations! Your level is now 54, earning 5 skill points.]
[Health: 18693/18693]
[Mana: 9290/9290]
[Combat Power: 80]
[Remaining skill points: 24]
[Wealth: 3379 blue essence, 3082 orange essence.]
Li Lin reviewed the system's notifications, confirming that the rewards for killing heroes were based on their current strength and threat level.
"Hmm, compared to Twitch, Cassiopeia, and Kog'Maw, the reward depends on the hero's power and danger," Li Lin mused.
(End of Chapter)
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