CHAPTER 71 - The Depths

Li Lin found that his request was unexpectedly challenging to fulfill in Zaun.

However, after a brief explanation from Huck, everything became clear to him.

Due to the presence of the Sun gates, a large amount of seawater was intercepted by the Piltover Canal, providing a safe harbor for trading ships.

As a result, the coastal line of Zaun didn't experience significant tidal fluctuations, at least not for the docks in the mid-level plaza.

However, the Undercity, situated beneath the mid-level plaza, still had some areas with considerable tidal differences, leaving the shore undeveloped into docks.

There was a significant drop between the Undercity and the lower half of the mid-level plaza.

Li Lin initially thought of spending some money to take the elevator down with Huck. However, Huck refused and proposed an alternative plan.

A steep path directly down.

Then, guiding Li Lin through several ramps and stairs, Huck finally arrived at an abandoned giant steel frame with a glowing purple sign.

Under the influence of the haze, looking down seemed to reveal only a bottomless "abyss."

Li Lin was uncertain, "Emmm... Is this the 'path' you were talking about?"

Carefully examining the structure of the abandoned frame, it seemed to be prepared for the construction of an elevator.

However, due to various reasons, the project was only half completed before being forcibly stopped.

It was quite steep, but where was the path?

"Hehehe, of course," even Huck put on a poor-quality alchemical breath filter, saying with a laugh. He pointed down, "We follow the frame down, hehe, not that high, just over twenty meters."

Twenty meters wasn't considered high?! If I had known this was the "path" you were talking about, I would have preferred taking the elevator...

Li Lin widened his eyes, unable to help but comment.

"Uh, not to criticize, but are you sure this rusty frame can withstand the weight of my powered armor?"

"This... hehe, it should be fine?" Huck's face showed a hint of embarrassment.

To be honest, he hadn't paid much attention to this issue before.

However, they were already here, and returning to take the elevator would waste a lot of time.

It was almost noon now, and Li Lin needed to quickly determine a suitable location for building the tidal power station.

The first batch of waterwheel generators had been processed and manufactured under Lady Cassandra's arrangement. Workers needed to start constructing the dam on this side.

Time waits for no one.

With a sigh, Li Lin said to Huck, who was waiting for him to speak, "Let's go from here."

"Okay, hehehe..."

"How do you plan to go down?"

Li Lin curiously looked at Huck, but he didn't answer the question.

He just rubbed his hands, put his glasses in the pocket of his jacket, and then bounced in place, doing a set of warm-up exercises.

Seeing Huck's fragile figure at this age, apparently lacking any strength, Li Lin appeared hesitant.

Just as he was about to suggest going back to take the elevator, Huck took a deep breath and then let out a loud roar.

Immediately, he lunged forward with his left leg forward and his right leg backward, fully prepared, and sprinted forward.

"Hey..."

Li Lin was stunned for a moment, thinking of stopping him, but it was too late.

However, in the next moment, Huck's performance truly surprised Li Lin.

When he sprinted to the edge of the cliff, he kicked the ground with his back foot, and the whole person flew as if jumping more than three meters, hugging the metal crossbar closest to this side.

Huck took a deep breath, turned around, and shouted to Li Lin, "Hehe, come down, Mr. Li Lin, this structure is very stable!"

He waved to Li Lin and then climbed down the iron frame.

In a short time, Huck's figure disappeared into the haze, vanishing from Li Lin's sight.

"..."

Li Lin frowned, hesitating at the edge of the cliff for a long time.

"Hey! Mr. Li Lin, come down!" From below the cliff, Huck's shout came again.

It seemed like he had safely reached the ground.

Since my powered armor has shock absorption, falling from a height of six or seven meters shouldn't be a problem, at most losing some health points...

Li Lin found some solace in his heart.

He cautiously climbed the relatively stable steel framework, and fortunately, encountered no significant issues. Amidst the mechanical gears and the acidic creaking of the metal frame under the weight, he descended step by step.

His suspended feet touched the ground again, and his pounding heart gradually calmed down.

"Phew... Thank goodness nothing unexpected happened."

Li Lin turned on the light and surveyed the surroundings, gaining a rough understanding of his current situation.

It seemed to be an abandoned mining pit cave.

Everywhere around, there were traces of ore mining, along with numerous abandoned and unusable tools scattered on the ground. A small wooden house with a decaying roof was tightly pressed against the cliff base, its walls covered in graffiti drawn with colorful crayons.

"This house, hehehe, Vi and Powder often come here; it's their secret hideout. Even Claggor and Milo don't know about this place."

Huck stood next to the small wooden house, introducing it to Li Lin with a muffled voice.

Li Lin observed the graffiti on the walls, nodding in agreement. "Hmm... It does have Powder's style."

"But, sir, you must promise to keep it a secret. Hehe, Powder discovered this place, and she doesn't want anyone else to know."

Huck returned to Li Lin's side and walked toward the dark space on the other side without stopping.

"Mr. Li Lin, over here!"

...

...

Before coming to the Undercity, Li Lin thought he was mentally prepared.

However, the environment and people's lives here still caused him significant emotional shock.

The area was filled with bubbling green alchemical toxic pits, homeless people shivering in the winter cold, and even some orphans fighting over the remnants of spoiled black bread found in the garbage heap.

Even a metal shack like the one in the middle-class square was a luxury residence that couldn't be seen here. If anyone had a tattered tent, it would already be considered a deluxe home.

Moreover, dark corners were everywhere, with decomposing bodies left unattended, feasted upon by shadowy rabbits, plague rats, and various mosquitoes and maggots.

Li Lin couldn't see any hope on these people's faces. Despair was absent, too. The only thing left was numbness.

Even when Li Lin, clad in power armor, passed by these people, they only raised their eyes for a moment, then quickly lowered their heads again.

Perhaps shielding their eyes from the bright light adapted to the darkness of his armor was a significant stimulus for them.

Li Lin felt heavy-hearted.

The situation in the Undercity was much worse than he had imagined.

Even Huck, leading the way, could feel Li Lin's oppressive mood through the armor. "You... Is it your first time here?"

He nodded without saying a word.

"Actually, hehe, the slum we passed through here is considered the slums of the Undercity. Other places are somewhat better, hehe..."

Huck lacked confidence; he just wanted to comfort Li Lin.

As someone born in the Undercity, if it weren't for the uprising led by Vander and Silco, he might have starved to death in some corner, gnawed clean by various creatures.

Although other places were slightly better than here, they were still just slightly better than rubbish compared to the middle-class square.

People living in the Undercity were mainly divided into four types: miners, scavengers, homeless, and Undercity orphans. They all shared a common trait—nowhere else to go.

If not for the fact that life was unbearable elsewhere, who would willingly come to this dark and almost uninhabitable place?

Once a person fell so low as to spend their days in the Undercity, their life entered a countdown.

Under the premise of lacking food, water, and fresh air, they also had to endure the erosion of various alchemical toxic substances.

Except for the mining sites or some stores, alchemical technology illumination was a luxury for this place.

It was pitch black everywhere, and even time lost its meaning. Almost everyone suffered from both physical and mental stress.

A person, already weak, if not amplified and transformed by alchemical technology, could survive for only half a year in this place.

If those groups of orphans didn't stay in such an environment and run to an orphanage in the upper levels of Zaun, they might not even survive childhood.

Some less heartless chem-barons would install a few low-power alchemical air filters found in the garbage heap in the mines.

Of course, most of the time, it was just to give the miners some psychological comfort...

After who knows how long, the two of them finally walked out of this impoverished area.

Li Lin took a deep breath, and even the breathing filter on his armor couldn't completely dispel the taste of the haze he inhaled.

He had to accelerate the construction progress of Zaun...

(End of this chapter)

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